Tanzetti Reborn
by Tanzettigirl
Summary: Tanzetti Part 2 Six months after their breakup a mishap sends Marcy barreling back into Billy's life, but before the two can fully reconnect a new threat comes to town that will force Marcy to face her past and change the fate of the Tanzetti forever
1. A Bad Day

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

**Hey, thanks to everyone who read Tanzetti Dreams. Special thank you to everyone who wrote reviews, I assure you they were invaluable and hope you continue to write them. Without further ado I give you part two: Tanzetti Reborn. **

**Oh, and I'm a huge Janet Evanovich fan and there's a small homage to her in this first chapter. You may even recognize one of the characters….**

*****

_There was an explosion of pink light and then she appeared. She was on a cliff in the middle of the desert, but the one she sought was near, the magic had taken her to him. She worked her way to the edge of the cliff and saw them. Six warriors battling a monster that threatened their world. _

_She watched, the heaviness in her heart sinking deeper. _

_Then the battle turned. There was an explosion and the warriors were trapped. _

_Anger and fear erupted from her. The magic poured forth on instinct sending out aid to the one she had been seeking. Pink lighting exploded around the monster and the warriors were back in the fight. _

_Reluctantly she turned from the battle, ready to leave, knowing he was safe. But then something else occurred to her. There was another she needed to seek. The leader, the one who brought the power to this planet and guided them. _

_Zordon. _

_Her hand gripped the crystal around her neck and the magic surrounded her once again. _

The man sat upright in the bed, a cold sweat covering his body.

_By the powers, she's still alive. _

He swung from the bed and turned on the lights with a wave of his hand. He was in the ornate stateroom of his great ship. He stepped to the wardrobe and pulled out a tunic. His entire body was covered in perfect muscle, gained both from physical work and magical influence. The only imperfection was a large red circle just below his breastbone that looked like a burn mark. The rest of his body had healed, but that spot, where her powers had touched him when he attacked her, that would never heal.

The man walked down the hallway, lit by overhead lights. He met no one on his way there. The halls to his chamber would be quiet this time of night, not even the highest of his officers daring to disturb his sleep for anything less than a life or death emergency.

As he walked through the quiet hall he thought back on the dream. Madala was alive. After all these years she was still out there somewhere, living out her life as if his had meant nothing.

He also thought of the emotions he'd felt from her. The way her power had been controlled by instinct, a desire to protect someone else.

_So, Madala has taken a lover from one of the Ninjetti._ The powers of Eltar and the Ninjetti combined with the power of Tanzetti. That would leave a hell of a legacy.

But he wouldn't let that happen. The Tanzetti power was his, and he would not stop until he had taken it back.

When he reached the command deck there was a sudden rise in tension. He never came to the deck this time of night. The Great Master valued his sleep.

One of the officers was standing in the center of the deck, near his command chair. The Master wondered if that officer had been sitting in the great chair only moments before. _No matter_, he thought. _I have more important things to do tonight._

"We are honored by your presence, Milord," the officer said. "How may we serve you this evening?"

The Master thought about this. What was he looking for? In the vision Madala had been in a desert, near a rock quarry, but thousands of planets could have geographic areas like that. He needed something more substantial.

"Set a course for the planet Phaedos," he said. "Best speed."

If Zordon were involved Phaedos was the place to start.

_I'll find her_, he said to himself. _I'll find her, and the power of the Tanzetti will finally be mine_.

*****

SIX MONTHS AFTER TANZETTI DREAMS

*****

"Are you sure you're up for this?"

Marcy snapped to attention when Tank spoke. She'd been daydreaming again. Ever since she'd woken up this morning she'd had a feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong today. It was one of those days where there was something in the air, like every negative particle is suddenly charged and attracted to you. But then, ever since she took this job things had gone slowly downhill.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm ready."

"This is you're boy," Tank said. "You're running it."

Marcy nodded and opened the car door. "Let's just get this over with."

She angled out of the black jeep and walked around back. Tank opened the hatch and started passing out vests and jackets to the two other team members who approached, Kelvin and Troy. Hal came running up from somewhere in the park and stopped short of the group.

"He's at the top of the hill having a picnic with his daughter."

"Shit!" Marcy said. One stroke of bad luck and the whole operation would go down the tubes. She took a deep breath and reached for calm. "Okay, I don't want to spook the girl. Tank and I go in easy and offer him the chance to go quietly. If he bolts we chase, you and Kelvin stay with the girl. Do we know where her mother is?"

"I have her number," Kelvin said.

"Call her now, tell her what's going on and have her meet you here."

Kelvin nodded and stepped away to complete the order. Marcy nodded to Tank. "Let's do this."

She took point and let the boys up the hill to the picnic area in Angel Grove Park. It was a Saturday afternoon so the crowd was pretty hectic. Lots of families and groups of teenagers spending the afternoon in the sun. She hated public pick-ups, but they'd been looking for this guy almost a month, and this was the first real lead they had. They'd just have to be extra careful.

They crested the hill and Marcy saw the target right away. Stanley Schmitt. Grand Theft Auto was the charge on his bond sheet. Divorced, one daughter, weekend visitation only. He was not going to be happy about having his time cut short.

With a wave of her hand, Kelvin, Hal and Troy fell back and walked around the crowd to take positions in a circle. Marcy and Tank approached Schmitt.

"Stanley Schmitt?" Marcy asked.

The man looked up and his face went white. "Oh, no," he said. "You can't do this here. Please, this is my only day with Silvia."

"It's been a month Stan," Marcy said. "You had your chance." She gave a wary glance at the girl. According to the file she was ten, but she looked a little small for her age. "We can all walk out of here nice and neat. No reason to make trouble for all these people."

Stan jumped up, moving faster than Marcy expected for someone so small. His hand whipped around his body and suddenly she was starring down the barrel of a .22 Berretta.

"I won't let my daughter see me in jail!"

He got off two shots everything went black.

*****

"So what do you think of the new Zord designs?"

"They're great, Billy," Tommy said. "Are you sure you're not working too hard? It seems like we have new Zords every week lately."

"Well, maybe not _every_ week," Billy said.

Katherine laughed and patted his arm. "Seriously, Billy, it's nice to see you out of the Command Center for a change."

Billy nodded. "It's nice to be out," he admitted. He leaned back his head enjoying the perfect sun shining over the park. "I'm really glad you guys invited me on a picnic today. I didn't realize how much I needed a day to relax."

This time Tommy laughed. "Anytime, man."

There was a shout from behind them and the trio turned to see a thin man in a flannel shirt running towards them pursued by a very large man dressed all in black. Both men had guns.

Billy stepped back as the smaller man ran at them, only he didn't run past as expected. Instead he skidded to a stop and spun, grabbing Katherine and turning toward the black suited man, holding the gun to her head.

"Kat!" Tommy shouted, but didn't move for fear of hurting the Pink Ranger.

The larger man stopped, holding his gun ready.

"Don't do it, Stanley," the man said. "You won't get away with it."

"Back off!" Stanley yelled. "All of you, back off!"

The large man eased up his stance. "Best listen to him boys. I don't want you're friend to get hurt."

Billy exchanged a glance with Tommy. Tommy gave a slight nod and they both took a small step backward. That was all they'd give. Billy kept his eyes on Tommy, but Tommy was watching Kat. He'd trained her well enough by now that she would know what to do. All she needed was the right opportunity and she could get out of Stanley's grip herself. When Billy risked a glance at her he saw her face was calm, but there was still an obvious glint of fear in her eyes.

_You can do this, Kat_, he thought. _Just remember what we taught you_.

"Okay, Stan," the large man said. "You need to give these boys their girlfriend back."

"What are you going to do?" Stan shouted. "Sick that Terminator chick on me. I shot that bitch!"

The dark man laughed. "Dude, I don't know how to break this to you, but she was wearing a vest. All you managed to do is piss her off. If she comes over that hill before you give yourself up there's going to be a world of hurt for you."

"You can't do anything," Stanley said. "I have a hostage."

"Last chance, Stanley."

Billy tensed, worried this large man was going to do something to put Kat in danger, but Tommy was completely calm. He was looking at something over Billy's shoulder. Billy sensed a movement behind him. Someone else was there, someone Stanley hadn't seen yet.

"Never!" Stanley shouted and moved the gun to point at the large man.

Then everything happened at once. A large black figure surged forward from behind Billy and hit Stanley in the side. Tommy stepped forward in the same moment and grabbed Katherine, pulling her away as the other two went tumbling to the ground. The dark man rushed forward as the two struggled on the ground. Then the second black figure sat up, straddling the criminal, and put her gun to his head.

"Go ahead you goddamn bastard," she shouted. "Give me an excuse, I'll blow you're fucking brains out."

A chill went down Billy's spine. He knew that voice. He stepped forward as the man slapped cuffs on Stanley. The woman tossed her head back, pushing the stray brown hairs away from her face.

"Marcy?"

She turned to him suddenly and he knew it was her.

"Billy."

There was silence for several seconds. He didn't know what to say. What the hell was Marcy doing arresting people in the park?

Marcy let out a scoff. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

**Haha! The first chapter in a new era! What do you think? My hungry ego would like to know! **


	2. Back in My Life

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

**No intro this time, just on with the story**

*****

"Who is she?" Katherine asked Tommy.

They were standing off to the side of the scene that had suddenly erupted in the middle of the park. The police had been called when Marcy's team started barreling through the park with their guns. Her partner Tank was now sorting out paperwork with one of the officers over the man he'd called Stanley.

Billy and Marcy sat several paces away on top of a picnic table. They were talking easily enough but Tommy had bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Her name is Marcy Tannon," he said. "She and Billy were dating for awhile."

"They look awfully friendly," Kat said. "Why did they break up?"

_Because she's an alien warrior from another planet who was too scared too reveal her identity to us._ "It's complicated."

He couldn't fully blame Marcy, or Madala as he knew she was truly named. He'd spoken to Zordon not long after she left. He told the mage about the letter and how she'd revealed herself to him. Zordon had told him that just like their morphing power, Tanzetti power was stronger when there were more people working as a team. Since Madala's family was dead and the power could only be passed on to a blood relative, she was limited in what she could do, and overextending her power would cost her physically. Her biggest concern had been that if she'd revealed herself and was then discovered by Rita and Zedd or another enemy, she wouldn't be able to defend herself or help in battle.

That was a feeling Tommy could relate to. He still remembered what it was like when he was losing his Green Ranger powers. Having to judge a battle by how much it would cost him in power. Sitting on the sidelines while his friends struggled, knowing he couldn't do anything to help them. He'd run at one point too, because he couldn't take the pain of watching his friends struggle without him. So he didn't blame Marcy, but seeing her now, sitting next to Billy, talking and smiling like nothing had happened made him uneasy.

She'd broken Billy's heart once. Tommy didn't want to see that happen again.

*****

"So how did you become a bounty hunter?" Billy asked.

Marcy laughed. "That's a long story. The short version is: I needed money, I met Tank and he offered me this job."

"I don't know if I like the idea of you getting shot at," Billy said.

_You don't get a say anymore_ was the first thing she thought, but then she softened. "It doesn't happen as often as you think," she said.

Billy grimaced and looked away.

"So what are you doing now?" she asked.

"Nothing much," Billy said. "I graduated high school early."

"You're kidding?" Marcy said. She was thrilled by that news. "I always knew you could move on faster than you did." She stopped herself. She almost called him 'evil genius.'

"So what are you doing now? Are you going to college?"

Billy shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "It's the middle of the semester right now. I've barely started to look at anything. I-I don't know what I want to do."

"You can do whatever you want," she said.

Billy smiled and a soft breeze blew his hair in his face.

"You let you're hair grow out," she said.

He ran a hand through his hair unconsciously. "I just keep forgetting to cut it," he said.

"No, I like it," Marcy said. "The surfer boy look. It suits you."

She ran a finger across his forehead, pushing away a stray lock that had been blown by the wind. And then she felt it, the power, it was gone. There was no flash of color, no battle senses, nothing. He wasn't carrying power anymore, he was no longer a Ranger.

She'd noticed, like everyone else, that there were only five Rangers now. They had new costumes and new colors so everyone assumed something had happened and the powers changed, but Marcy had assumed that Billy was still the Blue Ranger. Apparently he wasn't.

He ducked his head away from her touch and looked at his feet, but she could see he was smiling.

"God I've missed that," she said before she could stop herself.

Billy looked up. "What?"

"The way you smile," she admitted.

His smile widened and she returned it with one of her own. _He's free of the power now_, she thought. But she risked a quick glance to his wrist and saw he still wore a communicator. A shackle binding him to his old life. Perhaps he wasn't totally free.

"Chance!" Tank's voice echoed over the park. "We're moving out!"

"I'm coming," she answered sliding from the table.

"Chance?"

"My code name," Marcy explained. "Because he took a chance on me when he gave me this job."

Billy nodded and she saw just a hint of a smile.

"It was really good seeing you, Billy," she said. "You look good."

"You too," he replied.

"You take care of yourself."

She turned and walked away before she was tempted to say more. On her way to the jeep she passed Tommy, standing close the girl Stanley had tried to hold hostage. What was her name? Katherine? From her dress and the way Tommy clung to her side she assumed she was the new Pink Ranger. She remembered seeing in the paper a few months back that Kimberly was chosen to train some world class gymnastics team, apparently she'd been easily replaced.

"Tommy," she said politely.

"Marcy." He smiled but his eyes were completely cold.

_Don't worry, White Ranger_, she thought. _I'm not here to interfere. Just let me do my job and I'll move on. _

*****

**Hope you're enjoying the story. Don't forget, I love critiques. Please drop me a line, let me know what you think. **


	3. Favor from a Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

Marcy pulled the black jeep into the parking lot of the Angel Grove Youth Center. It had been six months since she'd set foot inside that place, and she could easily go another six with out being here, except she needed to be.

"You sure you can handle this?" Tank asked from the passenger seat. "I know you have history with these people. You don't have to do this."

"Yes I do," Marcy said. "We need this, and Tommy is the only contact I have. He'll talk to me."

"Are you sure?"

Marcy nodded. She wasn't sure at all. "Let's get this over with."

Not much had changed about the center in the last six months. It was still filled with students chatting and laughing at the juice bar, and athletes practicing and exercising on the gym floor. Tommy was alone on the mat running through a rather complicated kata. His was dressed in a full red gi with a black belt and he was moving far too fast to track his movements.

He came out of a spin and centered himself and Marcy stepped up.

"I didn't think it was possible but you may be getting better."

Tommy jumped when she spoke to him but calmed quickly when he saw her. She smiled warmly. She was here as a professional, she didn't need things to get tense.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, giving a cautious glance to Tank who stood at the edge of the mat.

"I need to ask a favor," she said.

The look on Tommy's face said volumes about her rights to ask a favor of him, but Marcy held her ground. "It's for a case," she said. "His name is Emmanuel Becket. He's a martial arts teacher."

"I know Sensei Becket," Tommy said. "Why are you looking for him?"

Marcy held out the file that contained his bond information, as well as some background research. "He skipped bail a few days ago and we're trying to find him."

Tommy gasped in disbelief as he looked at the pages. "I worked with this guy for years," he said. "I had no idea."

"He has a lot of contacts in the martial arts world. We've been working our way down the list but no one had been willing to talk to us. I was hoping you might be able to help find him."

Tommy shrugged and closed the folder. "I haven't seen him in a long time," he said. "I didn't even know he'd been arrested."

He handed the folder back to Marcy. "I wish I could be more help."

"There's a way you could," Marcy said cautiously. "You have credit with most of the local dojos. If Becket is making contact with someone they're not going to talk to us, but they might talk to you."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Just go to a couple of places with me for a few days. Ask around, put the word out you're looking for Becket. He may think he can trust you and try to make contact."

"You want to use me as bait."

"I'm desperate."

Tommy hesitated. "I don't know."

"He's a criminal, Tommy. You saw the file yourself."

Tommy took a deep breath and Marcy knew she had him. Tommy couldn't resist defending the innocent, with or without his Ranger uniform.

"Alright," he said. "We can start tonight, give me a few minutes to get ready."

Marcy nodded and Tommy headed off to the locker room. She turned to watch him go and saw Billy standing in the entranceway. He was frozen in place, just staring at her in disbelief. Marcy ignored him and headed for the juice bar. She had one other thing she needed to take care of while she was here.

The woman who'd been held hostage at the park was at a table with Rocky and another girl Marcy didn't know. _A new Yellow Ranger as well?_ She thought. There must have been more trouble than she knew.

"Katherine, right?"

The Pink Ranger looked up. "Yes," she said in a smooth Australian accent. "And you are, Marcy?"

Marcy held out her hand. "Marcy Tannon. We weren't properly introduced."

Katherine shook her hand. Then Marcy turned to the former Red Ranger and noted something in particular. He was wearing blue.

"Rocky," Marcy said.

"Hey, Marcy," he said kindly.

"You still seeing Sarah?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess so."

Marcy nodded. She hadn't spoken to her former roommates much since she'd moved out. She made a mental not to reconnect with them.

"Oh, this is Tanya," Rocky said pointing to the dark-skinned woman between him and Katherine. Marcy shook her hand as well. Yep, new Yellow Ranger, all right.

She turned back to Katherine. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"It wasn't your fault," Katherine said. "You didn't know what would happen."

"I'd still like to make it up to you," she said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of concert tickets.

"Do you like Coldplay?"

Katherine shrugged. "Sure."

Marcy handed over the tickets. "Tank and I bought these for the team awhile back, but we're stuck on a case so we can't go. Do you want them? There's enough for all of you."

"Five tickets?" Rocky said. "How did you get five Coldplay tickets?"

"Six," Marcy corrected him. "There are still six of you? You still have Adam?"

Rocky's face fell. "Adam, right. Yes, Adam."

Marcy nodded. She knew full well that the one he had forgotten was standing ten paces behind her wearing a grey sweatshirt and no power morpher. The one who's color he now wore. From the sudden flush on Rocky's face, he knew it too.

"Okay, then," Marcy said. "It was good meeting you, but I have go. You guys take care."

She turned around and ran smack into Billy. Apparently he was closer than she guessed.

"I'm sorry," she said stepping back. She stepped to the side at the same moment he did. She paused and stepped the other way, again he moved with her.

"Pick a side and commit!" she snapped. Billy promptly moved to his left and Marcy stepped past him. Tommy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a gym bag in his hand. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Good." She shot past him and headed straight for the exit.


	4. Conversation We Didn't Need to Have

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

Marcy pulled her jeep into the parking spot in front of Kei-son Martial Arts Center. It was the fourth dojo they'd been to in as many days. Tommy was dressed to work out, as usual, and as usual, Marcy was outfitted in a flack vest and fully loaded utility belt.

She cut the engine and sat back in the seat. "This is the last one on the list," Marcy said.

"What if he's not here?"

Marcy took a deep breath. "Then we keep trying."

"So we start over? I keep going to a different place every night?"

Marcy looked over at him. "You'd do that?"

"You need to catch this guy," Tommy said. "I said I'd help."

Marcy nodded and lapsed into silence. She expected Tommy to gather up his bag and head in, but this time he hesitated.

"Something else?" she asked.

"Why didn't you just tell him?"

Marcy took a sharp breath in and gripped the steering wheel. For four days he'd driven around town with her, visiting karate studios, asking questions, pretending to work out, but really just getting a feel for each place. He was good at it too. He had great instincts. Marcy thought he would make a great bounty hunter if he ever wanted to try. Never in all that time had he said a word, but she knew it was coming.

Tommy noticed her sudden tension and immediately backpedaled. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just-after all this time-"

"No, it's fine," Marcy said. "We needed to have this conversation sooner or later. Go on a say what you want."

"He still loves you."

"I loved him!" she spat out. "I still love him. But Tommy, what choice did I have? I know what it's like to love people you can't protect. I've been there when some sadistic warlord makes you choose between the person you love and a world full of innocents. I couldn't do that to him. Could you? Could you be the one that tells him he has to sacrifice me for good of the world?"

"No," Tommy admitted. "He wouldn't listen anyway."

"Even more reason why I had to remove myself from the equation." She took a deep breath and blinked back the tears.

"I am sorry I put everything on you," she said. "I hope it didn't ruin your friendship."

"It was hard for awhile," Tommy said. "He tried not to let on, but I knew he was still blaming me, and then…then Kim left."

She saw Tommy's head bow in the dim light. "He was there for me. I didn't expect him to be, but he was, more than any of the others. After that it was like everything was the same again."

"Until I came along and ruined it," Marcy said.

"It's not like that," Tommy said.

"No, it is. I'm sure he's not happy about you doing this, and I don't blame him one bit."

Tommy nodded at that. "He's not happy. But he doesn't say anything, just like Billy."

"Just like Billy," Marcy repeated.

"You still should have told him."

Marcy gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Maybe."

There was a pause then Tommy spoke again. "So, what all can you do anyway?"

Marcy smiled. "Not much impressive. You've seen me throw lightening, though, that's not one of my better skills. I can create a forcefield that can block out most magic, it can also be manipulated to throw an enemy back, if I have enough strength for it. Plus, I'm an empath."

"You read emotions?"

"The warrior of Emotion and Spirit," she said.

"Do all Tanzetti do that?"

Marcy shook her head. "No, only the pink warrior can. Each color has its own skills. White is leadership and enhanced instincts, red is physical strength, blue is wisdom and mechanical skills, green is communal with nature, yellow is power over the elements, black is….prowess."

"What does that mean?" Tommy asked.

"It's hard to explain, I guess 'charm' might be a better description. Basically they're a people person, good a solving disagreements and finding compromise. They often see things in a situation that others don't and can find a solution that doesn't involve fighting."

Tommy laughed at that. "Sounds a lot like the first Black Ranger."

He shifted in his seat. "I always wanted to ask you," he said. "That time you read my palm, you were reading my powers, weren't you?"

Marcy nodded slowly. She had a feeling this would come up. "Yes. I saw the colors your powers represented."

"Green, white, red, and black," Tommy said. "I was green and white first, and now I'm red, does that mean I'll be a Black Ranger someday?"

Marcy shrugged. "I guess so."

"When?"

Another shrug. "There's no way to tell for sure. The sight isn't exact. Mostly I just see you're current emotional state, maybe some of you're surface thoughts if they're strong enough, or if you're mind is open. Sometimes it's more like a vision, but it doesn't necessarily mean a definite future, more, the potential for one.

"The Pink Warrior was always in charge assigning the crystals. When a successor was called for he or she would have to read candidates to find the one most worthy of the power."

"You've done that?"

"Only once," Marcy said. "When I was four I predicted my cousin would hold the White Crystal next."

"You were four?"

Marcy smiled. "Yeah. I guess you could say that was the day I knew I'd one day hold the Pink Crystal. It was the saddest day of my life."

"How come?"

"Because it meant my grandmother would have to die."

"She held the crystal before you."

Marcy had to grip the steering wheel even harder to hold back the emotion. She hadn't talked about that day with anyone in over ten years. She was shocked at how the memory still affected her.

"I'm sorry," Tommy said. "That must have been awful."

Marcy shook her head. "She didn't die in battle. It was nearly fifteen years before she had to pass the power on because she was too sick to carry it anymore."

"And you're cousin? Were you right about him?"

Marcy nodded. "Yes," she said. "I was never wrong about Jaden."

"What about us? Did you know who we were right away?"

But Marcy wasn't paying attention anymore. She was looking at two figures that had just emerged from the entrance of the building.

"Is that…"

"Bulk and Skull?" Tommy finished

It was. They were both dressed head to toe in black and were doing a very bad job of sneaking around the parking lot.

Then Marcy saw something else come out of the shadows.

"Holy shit," she said.

Tommy stiffened. "It's him."

"Go," Marcy said. "Just like we planned. Nice and easy. Go."

Tommy opened the door to the jeep and got out. He made his way to the sidewalk and got to the door at the same time as Becket.

"Em? Is that you?" he said.

The man turned and in the light of the neon sign Tommy could see clearly that it was.

"Em, it's me, Tommy Oliver."

"Tommy?" his old teacher said. "What are you doing here?"

Tommy just smiled. Marcy had opened the door to the jeep and was slowly working her was around the car.

"I work out here sometimes," he said. "I can't believe I ran into you here. What's it been? Two, three years?"

The older man looked nervous and started shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Yeah, something like that."

He threw a quick glance into the dark parking lot then looked back at Tommy. "Hey, I have to meet someone inside, but after that how about a couple of rounds, for old times sake? You can show me what you've been working on."

"That sounds great!" Tommy said. Marcy was nearly all the way around the car. "Just let me get my bag."

He took a step toward the parking lot when suddenly there was a loud yell and then something large came running past him between the cars. Something hit him hard in the chest and then his head was spinning as his whole body collided with the brick wall behind him.

The last thing he remembered before everything went black, was gunshots being fired.


	5. My Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

Billy entered the emergency room doors of the hospital at a run. Just before he reached the desk he heard someone calling his name and turned to see Tommy.

"Hey, man, what happened?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Tommy said. "We found Emanuel , but-"

"You two!" a voice screeched from across the room. Billy saw Marcy emerge from the treatment area and charge across the room. In the far corner sat Bulk and Skull. They both tried to stand and run but Marcy was quick and they were back in their seats, quivering .

"I ought to horse whip you both right now!" she shouted. "Do you have any idea what you did? How dangerous that was? You're detective's licenses are going to be mine, and I'm going to burn them right in front of you and ram them down your throats!"

By this time Tank was behind Marcy, and he gently took her by the shoulders, but she shoved him off.

"I got shot because of you're stupidity! Do you understand that? Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

Tank grabbed Marcy by the arm and she growled at him and stomped off.

"What was that all about?" Billy asked.

"We had him," Tommy said. "Marcy was about to take him down, when Bulk and Skull came barreling in. I got knocked out but Marcy said he opened fire on the truck. She took a bullet in the arm."

"You were shot at?" Billy said shock and anger welling up in him. They were near the door and Marcy was about to pass them when he stepped in front of her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled.

Marcy stopped moving, her expression still of pure anger. "Excuse me?"

"You're getting my friends shot now?"

Tommy stepped in. "Billy, it wasn't-"

"I don't see how that's your concern," Marcy snapped back. Her glare was deadly, no wonder Bulk and Skull couldn't move.

"It is when you put my friends in danger," he said anger at boiling point.

She turned full on him now and he could see the large gauze bandaged wrapped around her upper right arm. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one who took the bullet. I didn't put Tommy in danger, he agreed to help."

"Because you took advantage of him."

"Billy, it wasn't like that!" Tommy tried to get between them but Billy pushed him away.

"You think because you came waltzing back into our lives you can do whatever the hell you want!"

He heard the smack a second before his skin started to burn. She'd hit him hard enough to make him take a step back, instinctively cradling a hand to his cheek.

"I have done everything in my power to stay out of _your_ life," Marcy growled. "And what I do with my life, is not your fucking business."

With that she turned on heel and marched out the doors, Tank close at her heels.

"You shouldn't have done that," Tommy said.

Billy turned on him. "Why not? You could have been killed."

"No man," Tommy said. "She could have been. And then where would you be?"


	6. Reconciliation

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Billy stood on the doorstep and took a deep breath. He held a single white rose in his hand and he knew it wasn't nearly enough. It took two more breaths to gather the courage to ring the bell. The pause after felt like months and he considered turning back to the car just before the door flew open.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Marcy stood in the doorway. Her hair was falling around her face in tangles as if she'd just woken up. For all he knew he had just woken her up. She used to be awake at six am no matter what, but that could have changed in the last six months.

"Come to yell at me some more?" she said bitterly.

Billy held out the rose wishing he'd brought something more. "I came to apologize," he said. "You were right. I had no right yell at you like that. I know you'd never put anyone in danger in purpose. I'm sorry."

She looked at the gift and her stance softened a little. She took the rose gently from his hand and he was briefly reminded of another day where he'd brought her a rose first thing in the morning. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then.

"How did you get this address?" she asked suddenly.

"Tommy gave me your business card," he said "I looked it up from there."

It hadn't been difficult to look up her address based on her phone number. He hadn't even had to hack into anything, a simple public records search traced it immediately, no problem.

Marcy smiled at that and shook her head. "You came all this way, you might as well come in."

She walked away from the door, leaving it open, and he followed her into the house. It was a small row house built off the street, two bedrooms, one bathroom, modest kitchen, postage stamp backyard, one car garage. And yes, he'd checked the house out a real estate website. He was curious.

Marcy was in the kitchen, which was pristinely clean. He wondered how much she actually used it. The kitchen itself was small, little more than a narrow opening flanked by a stove and row of cabinets on one side, and an open counter on the other that looked into the small dining room. She had two barstools on the dinning room side of the counter and he sat down on one of them, looking into the kitchen.

"You want a soda or something?" she asked.

"Sure," Billy said.

She opened the fridge and pulled out two cans of Coke, setting one in front of him.

"How are you?" Billy asked. "Since you got shot?"

Marcy glanced down at the bandage on her arm. "It's not as bad as it could be," she said. "I won't be able to fire a gun for awhile though."

Billy felt a rush of relief at that, but he didn't say so.

"When did you buy this house?"

Marcy leaned into the counter and sighed. "About two or three months ago. I lived in Tank's facility for awhile but it sucks there so I got my own place. I needed some space, you know?"

Billy nodded. He knew exactly how she felt. He felt that way himself, especially since graduating. He felt awkward still living in his father's house but not going to school anymore. He hadn't really meant to burry himself in work at the Command Center, but it was the only thing that made him feel like he was doing something productive. Like he wasn't just stuck.

"Why did you become a bounty hunter?" he asked.

Marcy shrugged. "It was kind of a whim. I met Tank in a bar and there was this fight and I stepped in. I guess I impressed him because he offered me a job."

"You met him in a bar?"

Another shrug, this one with a smile. "That's why he calls me 'Chance.' Everything about our relationship was completely random."

Billy nodded again, he didn't ask why she'd been in a bar. He didn't need to.

"So what are you doing now? Are you still going to work with…" he didn't want to say "with her injury" but he wasn't sure of a more tactful way of putting it.

"I'm off for today, after that I'll be on leg work, researching and inquiry for different cases. Very quite, mostly behind a desk on a phone."

"No more tackling criminals in the park?" he said sarcastically.

She smiled at that. "We'll see."

"Well, in that case, how about I take you to lunch?"

Her face darkened immediately and he knew he was crossing a line, but something inside him wouldn't let it go. He didn't want to just leave, not yet.

"I don't know, Billy," she said.

"Just as friends," he said quickly. "You have to eat and you should have to cook with your arm like that."

She hesitated, her face unreadable as she weighed the consequences of going out with him. _It's not a date_, he told himself. _It's just two old friends going to lunch. That's it_.

Finally, she nodded. "Okay," she said. She stepped back from the counter then suddenly looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a black tank top with matching black yoga pants. "Give me a minute to get changed."

She disappeared down the hall and returned ten minutes later in a simple brown sundress with sleeves that billowed down to her elbows, hiding her wound. She'd pulled the top half of her hair back into a clip so that it curled over her shoulders, showing off her neckline.

"Okay," she said, "Let's go."

*****

Billy chose a café near the ocean. It was a beautiful afternoon and they sat on the back deck overlooking the water. They talked for a long time about nothing in particular, just old friends catching up. Billy loved hearing her stories about being a bounty hunter. She had to admit, some of them were funny, at least, looking back on them now they were. At the time they weren't so great.

"And so Tank's standing there covered in pink goo and the guy looks up at him and says, 'Who the hell are you?' and Tank goes, 'I'm the fucking Pink Ranger' and slaps the cuffs on him."

Billy nearly fell out of his chair in laughter. "I have to tell that one to Kat," he said. "She'll love it."

Then his face sobered quickly as he realized his mistake. Marcy didn't say anything and they were rescued from the silence by the waiter bringing the check over. Billy reached for it but Marcy grabbed it first.

"Hey," he said. "This was supposed to be my treat."

"Well, it's my treat now," Marcy said. She already had the cash out of her purse. "We're not dating anymore so I can pay whenever I want."

"You paid all the time when we were dating," Billy protested.

"That's because you didn't have a job and I wasn't about to let you use daddy's credit card on me," she said taking the receipt and gathering up her purse. She looked over at him and caught the sour look on his face.

"Consider it my graduation present then," she said. She threw a look over her shoulder as she stood up. Billy had a tight smile on his face, but he stood up with her and followed her to the exit.

The restaurant deck had a stairwell at the end that led out to the beach. Marcy walked out that way because it was closer. Billy was right next to her on the stairs, only a hairsbreath away and she was far too aware of his presence. So far she'd resisted the urge to touch him. She didn't want to feel his emotions now, it would make things too complicated. She didn't want to feel the emptiness that was left behind from his old powers, or worse yet, the new emotions welling up from her sudden reappearance in his life. If they were anything like the ones she was feeling, they were both in trouble.

But as she stepped down into the sand of the beach her sandal slipped and lost her balance. For a second she was in freefall, but then something strong grabbed her and pulled her back upright with surprising strength.

There was a burst of emotion and thought in her head the temporarily kept her from finding her balance. She could feel herself pressed against Billy's body. He'd pulled her into his chest when his caught her and he still held her there, his face only an inch from hers.

His emotions were running high and she knew he was seriously thinking about kissing her. For a split second she seriously thought about letting him, but then the moment passed and his grip loosened, his emotional state back under his control.

She turned away and walked silently to the car.


	7. Unlikely Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Billy landed on the hard-packed ground and dropped the tools he was carrying. He'd come out here to fix one of the Command Center's long range receivers. It had to be placed out here in the desert because the Command Center's shields interfered with the signal. Unfortunately that meant that the wind and dust from the surrounding terrain built up around the device and every few weeks he had to come out here and clean it and make repairs.

He knelt next to the device, which looked a lot like a small satellite dish and started cleaning the sand and grime from it. The casing wasn't damaged this time but he opened the hatch anyway and checked the wiring. Sure enough, some sand and dirt had leaked in.

He pulled the wires, cleaning out the delicate circuitry without much thought. He'd done this operation so many times at this point he didn't need to think about it.

Instead he thought about the events of that morning. His lunch with Marcy was still fresh in his memory. They'd talked for hours, wasting the better part of the day sitting at that beach café just talking. It had felt like old times, when they could just talk about anything. And she could still make him laugh, he felt like he hadn't laughed like that in a long time.

Then when they were leaving there was that moment when he almost forgot the pain of the last six months. He forgot how she'd left him, disappearing completely in a second, forgotten the months he'd lived as a child, he and the other Rangers helpless to stop Master Vile on their own. Even the grueling decision to step down as a Ranger was gone in that moment.

He nearly lost himself in it, he easily could have just let go and given in. Holding her there brought back other memories, memories of her touch. Her hand in his as they walked together through the park, the smell of her hair when he kissed her neck, her hands in his hair when she took him so deep it felt like she could reach into his very soul.

Billy's hand slipped on the console and the device arched and a stray spark bit into his hand.

"Shit!" he shouted and putting his hand to his mouth. His hands were covered with dirt and grime from the desert and he cringed at the bitter taste. He spit into the dry ground next to him and looked at his hand. There was a bright red welt where he'd been shocked. It would swell and blister eventually. He had some ointment back at the Command Center, but he needed to finish his repairs first. If he left the console open, even for a few minutes it would destroy the circuitry inside and he didn't want to have to replace the whole dish.

He worked fast, keeping his mind in the present this time, putting the wires back together and finally closing the casing off and sealing it. He'd just finished locking it down when he heard a familiar whirl and a crash of lighting. Cold metal hands wrapped around his arms, pulling him away from the sensor dish. He was set on his feet and looked around to find himself surrounded by at an entire squadron of cogs.

He lashed out, using his training to fight them off. He kicked to his right, twisting his arm in the process in an attempt to free himself on one side. The cog stumbled away and Billy turned to the second that had a grip on his left side. He punched with his right hand, hitting the cog in the chest. Pain surged up his arm and he felt the bones in his hand shatter. He remembered too late that cog bodies were made out of metal, too much for his unprotected body to damage.

He pushed back the pain, and kicked out at his captor, managing to twist away, but lost his own balance in the act and went rolling over the side of the cliff. The impact knocked the wind out of him and by the time he could move again the cogs had surrounded him, pinning him to the edge of the rock. He brought his arm up fumbling for the button on his communicator, his last hope was to get a message to Zordon before they took him.

But he didn't get the chance. There was a flash of light and something the resembled a pink bubble appeared around him then moved outward, throwing the cogs back. Billy pulled himself to his knees and saw a figure dressed in all pink fly over his head and land between him and machines.

At first he thought it was Kat, come to rescue him, but then he realized the pink figure wasn't the uniform of a Zeo Ranger, but a simple pink sweat suit with the hood pulled up, hiding his savior's face. The cogs attacked the woman and she fought them off with exceptional skill. She didn't just fight with fists and kicks, she also employed pink lightening that shorted out the cogs when it hit them. That's when it occurred to Billy what he was seeing. It was the Tanzetti warrior.

After several minutes it was obvious the cogs were losing and the portal opened up, gathering them back in. A second later, five rainbow teleport beams appeared where the cogs had just left. The Zeo Rangers had finally shown up, a second too late.

They had braced themselves for fighting, but immediately realized they were no longer needed. Tommy stepped forward first, his helmet moving over the scene as he assessed it. The visor came to rest on Billy, crouched against the wall, still clutching his broken hand to his chest.

"Billy!" he shouted and rushed toward his friend. Billy tried to stand but his knees were weak from the fall. Tommy reached him and pulled him to his feet. "Are you alright?" He looked down at Billy's broken hand. "We need to get you back to the Command Center."

Then there was another hand in the mix. Almost out of nowhere the Tanzetti warrior had stepped up. With a simple touch she pushed Tommy aside and reached for Billy. The hood of her jacket was pulled low on her head, the shadows making it dark. Billy tried to focus on her face but all he could see was shadow.

_She must be manipulating the light somehow_, he thought. There was no other explanation of how he couldn't see her face this close.

Gently, she took his injured hand, holding it between both of hers, her head bowed in concentration. There was a warm sensation through his whole body and a slight pink glow emanated from her palms. Then she stepped back, releasing him, his hand once again whole.

Billy held the hand in front of his face and flexed it a few times. There was no pain, no stiffness. He was completely healed.

The woman stumbled backwards and Tommy jumped in and caught her, but she pushed him away, taking a few steps back. The other Rangers were still there, standing back a bit, unsure of how to handle the situation. The woman however seemed to think she'd had enough. She raised her hand in their direction, then disappeared in a flash of pink lightening.

"Wait!" Billy jumped forward as she disappeared, but it was too late, there was nothing left of her but a small patch of disturbed sand. "She saved my life. I didn't get to say thank you."

He felt Tommy's hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," the Red Ranger said. "I'm sure she knows."

*****

**Okay, I'm cranking these things out just as fast as I can but I'm not getting any feedback. What does everyone think so far? I'm seriously wanting to know! Please review. **


	8. What Happens in Vegas

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Tommy held up his hand to knock and the door flew open. Marcy was standing there, dressed much the way she had been in the park a few days before, minus the gun and utility belt.

"I had a feeling you'd show up here eventually," she said. "Come on in."

She walked away, leaving the door open. Tommy stepped into the small house and closed the door behind him. He followed Marcy into the kitchen. Food boxes and empty soda cans littered nearly every surface. The sink was piled high with dirty bowls and plates.

"Did you have a party?" Tommy asked.

"No," she said. "I rescued a friend."

"So you weren't kidding when you said using your powers cost you," he said looking at the disaster that surrounded them. It looked like she'd eaten nearly every pre-prepared scrap of food in the house.

"If I hadn't of healed him it wouldn't have been so bad," she answered giving a wary glance around.

She poured half a bag of potato chips into a bowl and pushed it towards Tommy.

"So that was you out there," he said taking a chip.

"Yeah," she said. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda and held it out in invitation. Tommy took it and she brought out a second for herself.

"Why did you go out there?" Tommy asked. "If it cost you so much?"

"Would you rather I have let him get captured?" she asked. "I'm sure King Mondo had wonderful plans for the Power Ranger's prize mechanic."

"That's not what I meant," Tommy said. "How did you even know he was in trouble? Why didn't you call us?"

Marcy straightened up. "I knew because I saw it happening, and I didn't call you because I don't know how. I can't teleport into the Command Center and none of you have cell phones."

"I can get you a communicator," Tommy said. "What did you mean you saw it happen?"

"I had a vision," Marcy said reluctantly.

"I thought you had to touch somebody for that."

Marcy took a deep breath. "Normally I do, but this one…just happened."

Tommy could see Marcy was holding something back. He just didn't know what.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Tommy shrugged. "I guess so. Why?"

Marcy crossed her arms in front of her and leaned against the counter. "Because ever since I broke things off with Billy I've done nothing but search for ways to stay away from him. I moved to Las Vegas, I rented an apartment. I spent weeks looking for a job. Then Tank comes along and offers me what sounds like a great job, only it's in Angel Grove."

She smiled at the irony of it all. "Then, four months later I botch an assignment and run into you at the park. And now I'm having visions without even touching him and I had to rescue _him_ because I knew you wouldn't get there in time. It's like there's some unseen force trying to push us back together."

"Maybe there is," Tommy said feeling a little ill at the thought. In truth he was softening towards Marcy. He understood her plight to some extent, and when he thought she was just passing through he was okay with it because as long as Billy wasn't involved there would be no harm done. But now, he wasn't going to let her waltz in and out of their lives as she pleased. The way he saw it there was only one thing to do.

"Look," he said. "I can't believe I'm saying this but, maybe you're right. There have been too many coincidences lately to be ignored. You left because Billy was still part of the team and you didn't want to interfere with that, but now he's lost his powers. You moving back here after trying to get away, and then what happened today…I can't explain it."

Marcy shook her head. "I don't know, Tommy. He's still part of the team. You still need him."

"But you still have a chance to tell him the truth. You saved his life today, you healed him. Go tell him the truth now, he'll listen."

There was another silence while Marcy thought this over.

"It's the only way it will work," Tommy said. "If you want him back you have to tell him everything. If you can't do that there's no point in being here at all."

"What if he can't accept it? You don't even know half of it and you're already thinking this is a mistake."

"How do you know I'm thinking that?"

Marcy held her hand out. "Prove to me you're not."

Tommy kept his hands at his sides. She was absolutely right. There was a big part of him that wanted to tell her to get on the next plane back to Vegas.

"You realize there's another problem," she said suddenly.

"What's that?"

"I used my powers in front of the cogs," she said. "King Mondo knows I exist."

"But he doesn't know who you are," Tommy said.

"Not yet," she answered. "And we need to keep it that way."

*****

**Sorry for the slight delay in new chapters. I had a huge burst of creativity that left me no time for editing, then suffered a personal crisis that blew everything else to bits. But I'm recovering now and the residual writer's block means I'll be putting on my editor's hat a lot over the next few days, which means more stories for you. Keep checking in and don't forget to leave a review. **


	9. Taking Back

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Billy was standing at the computer station when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned quickly and saw Marcy standing in the driveway, under the open garage door.

On a whim he'd decided to work in the lab today. He hadn't been here in weeks and there was a new project he'd wanted to make time for, so he told Zordon he was taking the day off and to call him if there was an emergency.

"Hi," he said when he saw her.

"Hi," she replied. She took a tentative step forward as if she thought some forcefield would go up, or a net drop down on her for coming here uninvited.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

She looked at the floor and started fidgeting with her hair. "I don't really know," she said. "I was meeting with Tank about the case and I left to do some legwork and the car just kind of steered itself over here."

Billy shook his head and turned back to the workstation. There was a half-assembled model of a new satellite sensor he'd been building on the table in front of him. The computer model was on the screen next to it. He'd been making modifications to the computer model as he built it so he wouldn't have to backtrack his work if he changed something major.

"Then it drove around the block three times debating all the reasons that I shouldn't be here," Marcy continued, "and drove all the way back and parked anyway."

This made him turn and give Marcy his full attention. "I know this is crazy," she said. "But after yesterday and everything that happened I just…I couldn't stop thinking about you." She stepped forward to where he'd set up a workbench in the middle of the room. She leaned her hands on it for support and looked at him, her long hair framing her face.

"Do you remember when I broke up with you and you said you would tell me everything, just to get me to stay?"

"Yes," he said. "You said it wouldn't make any difference."

"I lied."

Billy started. All this time he'd thought she'd been right about what she said. Losing his powers proved it even more. Even now that he wasn't a Power Ranger he was still at their beck and call, unable to leave the team, even when the really didn't need him anymore.

"I lied because I already knew the truth."

"You-you knew-"

"I knew about the Power Rangers. I-I didn't mean to find out, I didn't want to know, but once I did, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to put you in danger, or myself for that matter, where you'd have to come rescue me or something and…God, Billy, I'm so sorry."

He approached the worktable and wrapped one of his hands around her wrist. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

She shook her head. "I didn't know how," she said.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I thought that maybe it's not too late," she said. "That maybe I could still tell you everything and somehow it would all be okay. That maybe it wouldn't be too late for us."

Billy thought about that, emotions were running high. Anger and betrayal were at the top of the list. She'd known. She'd known and she'd left him for it, not even bothering to tell him why. But then, he thought, she kind of did. She'd said that even if she'd known he'd still belong to his friends, and that part was true. He thought at the time he would have given up his powers easily, but now, after having that choice taken away, he was still there, he still belonged to them.

He'd told Kim he would have left the team for Marcy, but at the time he was still angry. He was angry at his powers, at Zordon and the others for having them in the first place, and at himself because he knew deep down that being a Ranger would always be one of the most important things in his life.

It's not worth the price we pay. That's what he'd told Kimberly, that's what he'd thought. He looked at Marcy standing there before him now. She was his price and he'd paid it. Even if he'd told her back then he would have paid a price for it.

And he couldn't blame her for being scared. They'd had plenty of friends and girlfriends kidnapped over their powers, used as pawns to manipulate them. They're own parents had been captured in an attempt that nearly did cost them their powers.

And she was here now. He couldn't deny that ever since she came barreling back into his life he'd been thinking about it. If he was being truly honest it was the real reason he came to her door that morning with the rose, the reason he'd asked her to lunch. He wanted her back, he wanted to be with her. He was still in love with her.

"Billy!"

Her voice snapped him from his thoughts.

"Billy stop!"

Her hand jerked away from his and he realized he'd been gripping her wrist tight. He loosened his hold, but he didn't let go. Instead he moved around the table and pulled her closer, cupping one hand on her cheek as he did. His lips covered hers and he felt a surge of heat through his whole body.

She kissed him back, her arms threading their way up his chest and around his neck. He took another step to the side and had her pinned against the workbench.

He was kissing her neck now, his hands exploring her body. The black windbreaker she was wearing was in the way. He pulled back enough to see her face. "Come inside with me," he whispered.

It was an unreasonable request and he knew it. He shouldn't ask, but he wanted it. He wanted her, fully and completely. If she was going to be back with him he wanted everything and more.

Her body stiffened a little in protest. "There's other things I still haven't told you," she said.

Billy just shook he head and pulled her towards the door. "I don't care."

He opened the door and pulled her into the house. He pinned her against the wall as the door slammed closed and pushed the jacked off her shoulders. Underneath she had on a black camisole and a full utility belt, stun gun, tazer, pepper spray, and handcuffs. No gun, and he was glad of that, he wasn't sure what he'd do if he had to take her gun away from her. He released the clasp on the belt letting it fall to the floor.

Then he was kissing her neck again, pulling her leg around his waist. She shifted and he pushed her back.

"Billy," she breathed. "I have to-"

His mouth covered hers, stopping her words. He didn't want to hear them. She still loved him. That was all that mattered.

But she wasn't having it. Her palms braced against his shoulders and pushed hard, forcing him back only a few inches, but it was enough.

"Billy, I'm the Tanzetti Warrior!"

He froze. Unable to speak he just stood, there, inches from her, his mind barely digesting the words she'd just spoken. She didn't speak, she didn't apologize or cry or beg forgiveness. She just stood there, as speechless as he was.

After several seconds the logical part of his brain broke through the surface. It made perfect sense. She knew who they were, and she left him the day the warrior appeared on the cliff. Then two days after she comes back he's rescued by the mysterious warrior. It had been her touch in the desert the healed him, her powers that saved him when the others couldn't. It was so simple, so obvious it didn't feel like a shock to think it through. He felt like he'd always known.

He let out a breath and felt his body shaking. It took a second to realize he was laughing.

"Of course you are," he said. Then he scooped Marcy up in his arms and carried her the short distance to his bedroom.

*****

**Hope you like how this is playing out. I know it's a little impulsive but this is the way I saw the story from the beginning. Don't forget to leave a review! **


	10. A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

The Master stood from his chair as the ship approached the planet called Earth. It had taken some doing to get the location from Dulcea. She was a gifted fighter, but even her powers were no match for his skills. He had taken what he needed and gotten out quickly. He'd even left her alive. He had no intentions of starting a war with the Eltarian Empire. There were other forces at work on Phaedos besides the Ninjetti Rangers.

He'd had the dream again too. For months he'd felt nothing more of her power, but last night it had come to him again. She was in the desert again, in disguise so her lover wouldn't know. He'd found that ironic. The one she was in love with didn't know the truth. It had been so different for him and her, so long ago.

She'd been fighting what looked like robot warriors, very different from the enemy she faced the last time. They had looked familiar, but he wasn't sure what to make of them.

"Master, we have detected a familiar signal coming from the moon," one of his men said. "It appears this planet is being ruled by the Machine Empire."

"Are you sure?" he asked. Robot warriors in the desert would make sense if King Mondo had a presence on Earth.

The man double checked the screen then nodded. "Yes, Sir. It would seem King Mondo has decided to expand his realm."

The Master considered this. He was positive Madala was on the planet, and if the Ninjetti Rangers were opposing King Mondo, he could make a powerful ally.

"Set a course for his moon base," the Master said. "Send a message of friendship to the king. Tell him we can help solve each other's problems."

*****

"Oh man," Rocky said as he collapsed into a chair at the Juice Bar. "I can't remember the last time I had so much homework at once."

"Yeah, me too," Tommy replied. He pulled up a chair besides Rocky and the others followed suit. He had a class to teach in an hour, but first he needed a breather. It had been a grueling day for everyone. For some reason, it seemed all of the teachers at Angel Grove High decided to give their hardest assignments at the same time. Probably a conspiracy of some sort.

"Where's Billy?" Kat asked. "Is he meeting us today?"

"I don't know," Tommy said. "I didn't hear from him. I think he may want some space after what happened yesterday."

"Space? Why would he need space?"

Tanya turned and shot Rocky a dirty look. "How would you feel if you got attacked in the open and had to be rescued?" she asked. "Do you have any idea how close we came to losing him yesterday?"

Rocky shrugged. "He could have just asked one of us to come with him."

"Would you want to ask for protection every time you had to do a simple repair?" Adam asked.

Rocky's face fell. "Yeah, you have a point."

"Good thing the Tanzetti Warrior was there," Kat said.

"Yeah," Adam perked up. "It was pretty exciting getting to see her. Too bad she didn't stay around, I would have loved to talk to her."

"You got close to her, Tommy," Rocky said. "What was she like?"

Tommy stiffened at the question. He didn't want to lie to his friends, but he didn't have permission to reveal Marcy's identity yet. She hadn't decided if she was going to reveal herself to Billy and Tommy wanted to give her time to sort that out first. Billy and Marcy needed to be the ones to tell that story. So he stuck to the facts.

"She didn't say anything," Tommy said. "And her face was covered. I think she was using some kind of spell because it looked like a shadow, even in the full sunlight."

"I can't believe she can heal," Katherine said. "That must be a really great power to have."

Tommy shook his head. "It drains her though," he said, then realized he was stepping close to a boundary. "You saw the way she stumbled after she did it. Remember, Zordon said her power was limited."

"That must be hard," Adam said.

"I wonder who she is," Rocky mused. But he didn't get far in his thoughts because the beep of their communicators put them all on alert.

As one group they gathered their bags and headed for the corridor. They found an empty corner and Tommy tapped his communicator.

"_Rangers, we have detected a new power source that has landed on the moon. Please come to the Command Center at once_."

Tommy nodded. "We're on our way."

Five flashes of color and the Rangers were gone.


	11. Recaptured

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

"So does this mean we're back together?"

Marcy stretched a little from her perch across Billy's chest. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. "Can't really say no to you after all that."

She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was smiling. The reality still didn't register with her. She'd expected a fight, yelling at least, or shock. But she felt him work through each emotion as her news hit him, and it was nothing like she'd expected. He'd been so calm, even when he'd been angry the only way he had shown it was when he'd tightened his grip on her arm hard enough to bruise.

Then he just stopped thinking. He made his decision as if it had already been done. Marcy wondered if it was. He hadn't hesitated to make up his mind and once he had, he made his intentions clear.

Actually clear was an understatement for what had just happened.

He didn't waste any time once they were in his room. When he'd taken her it had been hard and deep. He didn't ask, not that she was in any position to object. It was gentle and familiar and powerful and different all at the same time. Where before there had been passion and raw energy there was now power and control. He'd driven her to the edge more times than she could count, just to pull her back and send her over once again. She realized at some point: Billy had grown up.

Now she found herself wondering exactly what he'd been through the last six months. She had been aware of the alterations to the timeline, but for the Rangers it must have been much more. It occurred to her she still didn't know the exact events that led to him losing his powers. It must have affected him greatly. He didn't harbor any resentment that she could feel, but there was an emptiness there, a space he had been trying for months to fill with repairs and inventions and other work at the command center. He wanted to feel needed.

One finger ran the length of her arm, tracing a straight line from shoulder to elbow, then back up again. He was getting impatient. The questions he had were bubbling to the surface of his mind and Marcy wouldn't be able to ignore them much longer.

Reluctantly, she pushed herself up to pull herself up until she was eye-level with him. "Are you really all right with this?"

"Of course," he said softly. "I can't believe it was you this whole time. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to hurt you," she said.

Billy ran a hand through her hair, pushing in back out of her face. "You wouldn't have hurt me."

Macy shook her head. "I'm not that powerful."

"Are you kidding?" he said. "I saw what you did yesterday. That was amazing!"

"But it was a lot harder than you think," she said. "It cost me a lot to do that." His hand was still resting against her cheek, the hand she'd made whole again. She turned her head a little and kissed the palm. "There's limits."

"What can you do?" he asked. "How did you even know I was in trouble yesterday?"

Marcy laughed. She could feel even more questions bubbling up inside him. She wanted to be able to answer them all. "That's complicated. I-"

Her voice was interrupted by the beep of his communicator from where he's tossed it on the nightstand. Billy threw his head back against the pillows. "Oh, it figures they would have to call me now!"

No sooner had he sat up to retrieve it than Marcy heard the high pitched tone of her pager. She snatched it from the pocket of her pants and checked the readout.

"It's Tank," she said. "He may have a lead on our case."

Billy sat next to her holding the communicator, looking guilty.

"I guess we're both needed elsewhere," she said.

"But I have so much I wanted to say," he said.

"I know," she said. She thought quickly and came up with a plan. "Come over to my house tonight. We'll talk about everything then."

She kissed him lightly on the lips then untangled herself from the sheets and started rooting through the clothes on the floor. Billy stayed sitting and replaced the communicator on his arm. Marcy watched as he held it up and responded to the call.

"I'm here Zordon," he said.

"Billy, we've detected a new power source from the moon. Please come to the Command Center right away."

Billy nodded to himself. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

He stood and they both finished dressing in silence. They finished about the same time and just stood there looking at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally Marcy had enough. This wasn't some awkward one night stand. They were together again, there was no reason to feel this way. She stepped up to Billy, threw her arms around him, and kissed him hard. She felt his arms circle around her waist and the tension eased.

"I love you," she said when they finally broke apart.

"I love you too," he responded.

"I'll see you tonight. Tell Zordon I said hi."

Billy smiled at that and reluctantly stepped back. He pushed something on his communicator and disappeared in a haze of white light.


	12. Unexplained Power

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Billy landed on polished floor of the Command Center. The room was empty save for the short android Alpha 5 who was frantically pacing in front of the row of computers. The viewing globe against the wall showed the five Zeo Rangers in battle.

"What's the matter Zordon?" he asked.

"We have detected a new power source on the moon," the old mage said.

"But before we could try to identify the power source a monster attacked downtown!" Alpha finished.

Billy checked the readings on the kiosk in front of him. The power source was well cloaked so it was impossible for the computers to tell exactly what the new power was.

"Alpha monitor the battle. I'm going to try and recalibrate the sensors," Billy said. "Is this new power source controlling the monster?"

"Not that we can tell so far," Zordon said. "However its appearance is too much of a coincidence. I believe this attack may be meant to serve as a distraction while the new enemy proceeds with some other plan."

Billy nodded. "I'll keep working on the sensors. If we can find out who this enemy is, maybe we can still stop them."

He worked frantically over the computers trying hard to ignore the shouts of his friends coming over the communicators. He was tempted to ask Alpha to turn the speaker off, but he knew that would be a mistake. He needed to be able to hear what was going on in case his friends needed him.

After what seemed like hours, the Ranger's Zords finally took down the monster. Unfortunately, Billy wasn't even close to making progress with the sensors. None of the algorithms he was writing could detect the energy signature. He couldn't understand why. He was utilizing every spare sensor they didn't need and still he was getting nothing. Just a random energy signature that was untraceable.

But as the final sparks of Mondo's latest monster faded the signal suddenly blinked out.

"No!" Billy shouted out loud without meaning to.

"What happened?" Alpha said, stepping up along side him at the computer terminal.

"This signal," Billy said. "It's gone."

He heard rather than saw the colored teleportation streams of his friends as they returned to the Command Center. Tommy stepped up behind him first.

"What happened?"

Billy shook his head, frantically running his fingers over the keys. "I just had it," he said. "The signal was isolated and now it's just gone, like someone turned it off."

"Well maybe someone did," Rocky supplied.

"Is that possible?" Tommy asked.

"I do not know Rangers," Zordon said. "Since we have no way of identifying the power source we cannot the extent of its capabilities. Alpha and I will continue to monitor the moon base but for now there is little more we can do."

Billy felt Rocky moved closer to him on the left and thought he was looking over at the computer screen, but instead the current Blue Ranger leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "You're shirt's on backwards."

Billy looked down. His shirt was indeed on inside out. It was also not the shirt he'd been wearing that morning. He'd grabbed the first thing he could find on the floor when he was leaving and hadn't paid much attention to it until now. He'd had other things on his mind, like Marcy and when he was going to see her again.

Tommy was offering to wait at the Command Center to monitor the power source and other attacks, but Zordon was turning him down, saying something about patience and letting the new enemy reveal himself in his own time.

Billy slowly stepped to the side, away from the others and pulled off the shirt, turned it right side out quickly and pulled it back on. He turned back to the others and noticed Rocky starring wide eyed at him. He shot the Blue Ranger an odd glance but before he could say anything Tommy was addressing the group.

"I think we should stick together for awhile," Tommy said. "Something tells me that whatever's going to happen, it's going to happen soon."

The others nodded then Rocky suggested picking up a picnic lunch at Ernie's and hitting the park. The other's agreed and moved back to teleport out.

"Billy," Rocky said casually when the former Ranger didn't line up, "aren't you coming?"

"I was thinking I would stay here and work with the sensors a little more," Billy answered. He knew sooner or later he would have to confront his friends about everything, and from the way Rocky was pushing he knew it would be sooner, but he really didn't want to do it now.

"Go on, Billy," Alpha said stepping in. "I can monitor the sensors. Besides, you asked to have today off, you should get to enjoy it."

"Yeah, come on, Billy," Tommy said.

Billy just shrugged and lined up with the others. Maybe he was wrong about Rocky's curiosity and Tommy's sudden concern. Maybe an afternoon in the park was just what he needed to relax before seeing Marcy tonight.

But as the electric white teleport beam surrounded him he knew he was just kidding himself.

*****

"You said an attack would draw her out!"

King Mondo drew himself up to full height. "I said an attack _might_ draw her out. She's only come out one time and that was during an attack so it stood to reason-"

"Well it didn't work!" Baylin roared and began pacing the small throne room of the moon base.

"Perhaps another attack," Mondo suggested. "Something smaller this time. It was the cogs she came after last time, perhaps she will again."

"That's right!" Prince Sprocket spoke up, eager to be part of the conversation. "We were kidnapping that nerdy helper of the Power Rangers and she stopped us."

Baylin froze in his pacing and looked at the young machine prince. "Say that again?"

"We were trying to kidnap the brainiac," Sprocket said in a softer tone. "He was in the desert-"

"That's it!" Baylin cried. "He's the lover. She came out because of him. Do you know who he is?"

"Of course we know," Mondo said. "His name is Billy. Good luck finding him though, he rarely leaves the Command Center and when he does he's always with the other power brats. It's rare to catch him alone."

"Then I'll go in when he's with them," Baylin said.

"You can't do that!" Mondo said. "They'll recognize you at once!"

Baylin smiled. "No they won't. They won't know anything until it's too late."

*****

Marcy sat in the front seat of Tank's SUV. She was supposed to be watching the front entrance of the building where they suspected Emanuel Becket had rented an apartment. Tank had gotten a tip from somewhere and the whole team was taking turns on the stake out. In the driver's seat next to her, Kelvin was sitting back in the seat, eyes as blurred and unfocused as hers.

Her mind wasn't on the latest criminal hunt, it was on Billy. She'd hated rushing off after a job and leaving him behind. If it weren't for the fact that he was needed at the Command Center she probably wouldn't have gone at all.

She still couldn't believe how easily he'd accepted the truth. He hadn't asked for details, he hadn't even gotten upset. But he needed the details, all of them and she was going to tell him everything, just as soon as she finished her shift in this stupid car, for this stupid bond.

Her mind drifted back that blissful few hours with Billy. She was shocked at how easily she'd fallen back into his arms. It was just as comforting and secure as it had been six months ago, even more so now that there were no more secrets between them.

She could still feel his touch, remember every detail of his body, every sound of his voice. She could still hear him telling her how much he loved her, how much he wanted her. She'd said it back, couldn't say it enough.

She started wondering where he was now. The all clear sirens had sounded a little over an hour ago, but could have stayed in the Command Center.

_No, he's with his friends_. The she started at the thought. She was so sure of it, but she didn't know why. How could she know exactly where he was? And yet, she was positive he was with the others, they were in the park, relaxing and playing, yet still on alert for something.

Marcy took a deep breath then leaned back and forced herself to relax. She was imagining things. There was only one way to see exactly where the person you love was and she didn't have that with Billy, not yet, likely not ever. She concentrated on the coming evening. The words ran in her head for the hundredth time. She would tell him the stories of her old planet, the history of the Tanzetti. All of it was still there, as clear and full in her mind as it had been during her childhood. She thought of the first time she knew, that day in her uncle's house where she had her first vision in front of the whole family. That was the first story she would tell him.

She thought of the words she would say, of Billy's face and what he might say when he heard it. She could see his face as clearly in her mind as the words of the stories. But then the face changed without warning. Still Billy, but face was contorted in pain.

Then her wrist started to burn.

*****

Tommy rushed the court, basket ball in hand and narrowly missed by Adam as he went for a layup. The Green and Blue Ranger's growled in defeat as he made the basket, and when Tommy turned to face the court Billy was waiting with a high five.

"Great shot, man," Billy said.

Tommy tossed the ball to Rocky. "Take it out."

Rocky shook his head and wiped the sweat off his nose with the collar of his tee shirt. "Hang on," he said. "I need a breather."

The all walked over to the picnic table and sorted out drinks. They'd finished the lunch Ernie had packed for them, but they'd ordered extra water, which was passed out by Kat as they all sat around to cool off.

"So, Billy," Rocky said in a veiled attempt to be subtle. "What have you been up to lately?"

Billy shook his head in confusion but Tommy felt a sudden cold down his spine. Rocky was way too observant, and far too blatant for his own good.

"Well, look at you," he said. "Zordon said you requested the day off. You were late getting to the Power Chamber during the attack, you showed up with your shirt on backwards, and don't tell me that bruise on your left shoulder is from an accident in your lab. I know better."

"Come on, man, leave him alone," Tommy spoke up.

"No, it's okay," Billy said a slight color in his cheeks. "I saw Marcy this morning. She came by the lab."

A grin spread on Rocky's face. "How much did you see?"

Then the Blue Ranger let out a yelp as he was clocked on the arm by Tanya. He rubbed the spot where she hit him. "Jeez, I was just curious."

"So, did you get back together?" The question came from Kat and Tommy was surprised she'd been bold enough to say something. Sure, the news was out there, but he was the last one who wanted to push Billy for it.

"Well, yes," Billy said. "But there's something else you guys need to know. Marcy-"

"Excuse me? Can you help me?"

The entire group turned to see a young man with dark hair coming toward him. He was tall and well built, like an athlete. He moved quickly. Adam stepped forward as he approached.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"I'm lost," he said. "I'm trying to get to the Youth Center."

Billy pointed to a sidewalk path off to their right. "Just follow that path, it goes straight there," he said.

The man breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you. This park is so huge, I thought I'd never find my way out."

The other's laughed as the man walked moved. He turned to Billy. "Thank you."

He held out his hand like he was going to introduce himself but then moved quicker than any of them could see and clamped his hand around Billy's wrist. Billy immediately cried out in pain and Tommy moved toward the man, as did the others, but it was too late. There was a flash of lighting he was thrown back. Suddenly there were black suited warriors everywhere, as well as cogs. The man stood near the table laughing a deep menacing laugh that Tommy knew was far from human. Billy behind him, held securely between two of the black warriors.

The other Rangers were getting to their feet and bracing to fight. Tommy didn't know the strength of these new Black Warriors, but he knew the cogs.

"Let's go, guys. It's Morphin Time!"

The each took their turns calling their Zeo Powers and began battling the dark warriors as well as the cogs. Tommy tried to keep an eye on the battle, working his way across the basketball court to Billy, and this new enemy, who had also changed. His face was the same, except his eyes were a little more menacing, but his clothing was entirely different. He wore a tunic-like shirt, laced with leather running across his chest from shoulder to hips. He stood only a few feet from where his henchmen were restraining Billy.

Finally Tommy was able to break through the line of cogs and landed in front of the man.

"You'll be giving us our friend back," Tommy said, and took a swing at the man.

Before the punch even landed Tommy found himself flying backward and hit the ground hard. He heard that menacing laugh again and the man was standing over him.

"Poor little Ninjetti," he said. He raised his hand and a ball of blue electricity appeared then shot down and surrounded Tommy. Pain hit him inside and out. He couldn't move, couldn't even scream. Then there was another flash and the pain was gone. He sat up quickly and saw a black figure standing over him, but it wasn't the evil man.

"I never thought it was possible," Marcy's deep voice said.

The man was several feet away now, pulling himself to his feet.

"Madala!" he said with true enthusiasm in his voice. "I knew if I attacked in the right place I'd draw you out." He paused and his tone became darker. "I dreamed of you."

Marcy was shaking her head. Around them the battle still raged, but Tommy stood by Marcy waiting to know what to do next.

"How?" she demanded not seeming to notice anything of the battle around her. "How is this possible?"

The man shrugged dramatically. "How is it possible for either of us? It is, and now the Tanzetti power will be mine."

Marcy immediately crouched into a defensive stance and her hands glowed pink. "Never. Leave now, Baylin."

Baylin laughed. "You can't stop me alone. You already proved that, and look around you, do you think these pathetic children will stop me? Come with me now, Madala." He extended a hand to her. "It's the only way to end this."

"No!"

Then she moved, faster than Tommy had ever seen anyone move. She was on Baylin, attacking him with her power and taking his. He was strong. Nothing she did worked.

Not one to stand and let a battle be decided when he could help Tommy raced forward and attacked again. He shot out as Baylin, working with Marcy to take him down. But he was thrown back easily, again and when Baylin tried to use the blue lightening on him Marcy had to use a force field to protect him.

"Get Billy!" Tommy said, but it was too late. Baylin had moved to Marcy and had her with the lighting instead. She had to drop his force field to make one of her own to deflect it. Then she did something that shocked everyone. She closed the distance between her and Baylin and grabbed him by the throat.

They both stood there, frozen, faces narrowed in concentration, as if they could take each other down by staring, and for all Tommy knew, they could. Then Marcy shifted and they blew apart, landing several feet away from each other.

Baylin got to his feet first. "I guess you've gotten what you wanted. You think on that awhile, I'll contact you."

He crossed the distance to where Billy was still held. Marcy struggled to her feet and lashed out with what little power she had left. "NO!"

But they were gone in a flash of blue light. Marcy rushed to the space where Billy and her enemy had stood and collapsed again. "Not again," she was saying softly when Tommy reached her. "Not again."

The others ran forward as well but stopped when they saw Marcy. No one knew what to say, and Tommy had nothing helpful to tell them. They'd lost, and they'd lost Billy. Then Marcy was standing and turning to face the group. She had something silver in her hand and as she lashed it to her wrist Tommy realized it was Billy's communicator.

"We need to get to Zordon," she said evenly. "He'll know what to do next."

Tommy nodded and they all teleported together.


	13. The One I Left Behind

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

A wave of dizziness came over Marcy as the teleport beam faded away and she found herself in a large chamber. It was different than the one she'd visited before. It was bigger, more high-tech, if that were possible. The other Rangers landed the same time she did, their helmets off, just standing, waiting to hear what to do.

Tommy stepped up to the kiosk and looked at the vortex tube where Zordon was visible.

"Zordon, they took Billy," he said.

"I know Tommy," the mage answered. "We must find a way to get him back."

Before Tommy could say anything more Marcy stepped up next to him. "How long has he been there?" she demanded. "How long have you known?"

She could see Tommy turn his head at her in question but she ignored it. If Baylin was in the system Zordon should have detected it, and he should have told her.

"We detected a new power source on the moon this morning," Zordon said calmly. "We had not identified it yet."

"Why were the Rangers out in the open?" she asked. "They should have been here, watching for the next attack."

She expected Zordon to argue with her. To say that he didn't want to interfere in the Ranger's lives and that he was doing what he thought was best for them. But all he said was, "You are right."

Marcy felt the anger well up and lashed out, hitting her hand against the kiosk in front of her. "Dammit Tommy, this is just what I wanted to avoid."

"I know," Tommy said quietly.

He was silent for several seconds. She didn't give him an exact signal for when she'd pulled herself together, but he somehow knew it just the same. "You know who this guy is. You've met him before."

Marcy paused before answering. "He was my friend, at least he used to be."

She turned away from Tommy and kept her eyes on the console that flanked the command center. She was sure Billy knew every switch and button by heart, but she had no clue where to even start.

"I can't believe it," Rocky said suddenly. She stopped and looked up at the Blue Ranger. "You're the Tanzetti Warrior." He shook his head a bit. "I can't believe Billy kept something like that from us."

"He didn't know," Marcy said.

"But he knows now," Tommy said. "Doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Marcy said. "I told him this morning."

She watched as the facts clicked into place on all of the Rangers faces. It registered fully with all of them, the truth, and the irony of it all.

"So what do we do to get Billy back?" Tommy asked after awhile.

"Simple," Marcy said. "When Baylin calls, you offer to trade him for me."

*****

The air was extremely stale in the room where Billy was kept. The room itself was little more than four steel walls and a chair.

_At least I'm not chained down_, he thought. Unfortunately that was about the only positive thing he could find in the situation. He was trapped, without his communicator, without powers, and without Marcy. The man who'd captured him, she'd called him Baylin. She must have known who he was. He must have been an old enemy, from back on her own planet, but Zordon said the planet was destroyed, how could he have survived all this time?

Come to think of it, he didn't even know how Marcy had survived. She hadn't had the chance to explain anything to him yet. He was beginning to wonder if he accepted her revelation a little too quickly.

There was a loud creak and the door opened. Two of the black warriors came in. One was carrying a small tray with two glasses of what looked like water and a small plate of crackers. The other was carrying a small round table and a chair similar to the one Billy was sitting in. The table and chair were set up near him and the tray of refreshments set upon that. Then a third figure entered the room, a large man with dark hair and menacing eyes.

"I apologize for the lack of hospitality," he said, his deep voice echoing off the metal walls, even though he spoke at barely above a whisper. "I'm afraid there are few spare accommodations on my ship. Don't worry, you won't be here long."

The man took a seat opposite Billy at the table and gestured to the food. "Help yourself. I may not honor my competition, but I'll not have you starve."

Billy gave a cursory glance at the food in front of him. He was definitely hungry, but he didn't trust this man one bit. And what did he mean by calling him competition?

The man noticed Billy's hesitation and smiled. "If I was going to kill you I would have done it in front of Madala where it might have done some good." He gave a slow laugh. "No, young one, I have better plans for you. Don't worry, as long as you are in my custody, you will not be harmed."

As if to prove it he lifted the second glass of liquid and took a long drink. Billy hesitated a second more, then did the same. The liquid in the glass looked like water, but it wasn't. It had a sweet, earthy taste to it, like a heavily watered down juice. The other man nodded in appreciation.

When the man Marcy had called Baylin didn't speak again Billy decided to take a chance. "What do you want with me?"

Baylin smiled a bit over his glass and set it on the table. "I would think that would be obvious."

"You want the Zeo crystal," Billy said firmly

Baylin started laughing. It wasn't a pleasant sound, deep and throaty, and rattling in the small space. "Perhaps one day," he said. "But my true goal…" He paused suddenly and looked Billy up and down, making him even more nervous. There was glint in his eye that made his skin crawl. Billy wondered if the man could read his thoughts with that glare.

"You don't know, do you?" he said softly.

Billy shook his head. "What?"

"About the Tanzetti powers…how they work?"

Billy didn't answer but was sure his silence was enough because Baylin sat back in his chair and put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "How much has she told you?"

Faster than Billy could think the larger man's hand shot out and he was slammed into the table. He tried to scream but the sound wouldn't come. For a second he couldn't move at all, couldn't see or hear or think. Then his thoughts were racing, memories appearing without a thought. Images from his childhood, early days with the Rangers, everything flashed before his eyes and Billy realized what was happening.

"NO!" he cried and tried to make the images stop. He fought back but nothing worked. In a split second everything belonged to Baylin. His memories of Marcy, the first time they met, their first kiss, the first time he made love to her. Every moment, every touch, everything they'd shared was taken from him. The last image he saw was the last time he'd seen her before being kidnapped. Standing in his bedroom, her arms wrapped around him. He could still feel the joy of having her back in his arms, the hope for the future, and he felt the grim satisfaction as Baylin saw it too.

Then something else happened. New images appeared, ones he knew weren't his.

He saw a younger Marcy standing in front of him promising to be with him forever. Promising to give him the power of the Tanzetti.

Then another scene, in the same place but months later. She was crying this time, telling him that he wasn't the one that he wouldn't be chosen for the power if they bonded. He felt the rage build inside of him as she took away his destiny.

Then there was a temple. He walked through the pillars of the sacred place into the main chamber and stopped. Marcy was there, holding another man, one who wore a white uniform of the Tanzetti. He'd walked in on the two of them embraced in a passionate kiss.

He felt his heart breaking as he saw that she'd moved on without him. He'd come back to her strong and worthy, and she had moved on, betraying him once again.

Then he was in the temple again, sometime later. He was standing on an outer platform overlooking the jungle.

Then Marcy appeared over the platform, climbing up the stairs. She was injured, her uniform cut is several places and the lower half of the tunic was a dark reddish-brown, like dried blood.

He heard Marcy declare that she was destroying the planet. She was taking the lives of everyone there in order to stop him. He tried to reason with her. Offered to take her back, but she refused. She fought him and pushed him away, calling the power before she could stop him.

He screamed for her to stop, but it was too late, the power was already building, surrounding them both, tearing them apart.

The images stopped and the weight of Baylin's hand was released from his neck. For several seconds Billy couldn't move. He lay against the metal tabletop just trying to breathe.

"I apologize," came a voice from above him. "I needed to know."

There was a shuffling sound and the table shifted slightly. With a deep breath Billy forced himself to sit up. His face as hot and when touched his cheek it was wet from tears streaming down his face.

Baylin was standing, looking down at him and Billy felt the urge to stand as well, but he could barely hold himself up in the chair. Still, he looked the enemy in the eye even from below and saw Baylin incline his head at the gesture.

"You're stronger than you think, little one," he said. "But be warned. Madala cares nothing for her lovers. She killed the other one, the one she betrayed me for. She killed him with her own powers to take his. She has the power of all the crystals to herself now, that was always her goal. She wants the power, and I am the only one who can stop her. The power of Tanzetti is mine and not even the Zeo crystal can change that."

With that he turned and walked out of the door. It shut with a tremendous thud and Billy was left alone.


	14. Ransom Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

"What do you mean we're going to trade him for you?"

Marcy kept her face solid when in reality she wanted to smack the Red Ranger. "Exactly what I said. Baylin wants me, he wants my power. If you want Billy back, you're going to give me to him."

"No, there has to be another way," Tommy said.

Marcy almost laughed at his devotion. She knew it was him thinking of Billy. When he heard the second part of her plan he was going to be even more upset. One step at a time.

Tommy stepped past her and appealed to his mentor. "Zordon, isn't there something else we can do? Can't we find where they've taken him?"

"We are trying Tommy," Zordon replied in his even tone. "But we have been unable to locate any signal from either Baylin or Billy."

"You won't find one either," Mary said. "He has a ship somewhere on the moon but it's well guarded. He knows how to cloak himself from your shields and he can get any technical readings he needs to target us from Billy."

"Billy would never give up information about the Command Center," Rocky said defiantly.

"He won't have a choice," Marcy said. "Baylin can read minds. He can take thoughts by force. He tried to do it to me but my powers protected me. Billy won't be so lucky."

"What does he even want?" Adam asked softly.

Marcy turned to the group. For the first time she took them all in. Young as they were they all carried the spirits of seasoned warriors. Compared to her they were babies, but she'd seen them in battle enough times to know they were just as dedicated as any one of her ancestors.

It was time to tell them everything. It wasn't like they didn't have time to kill. "Baylin and I grew up together. Unlike most of those chosen, I knew I was going to be a Tanzetti very young. I had the power of empathy and sight, the same power that belongs to everyone who carries the pink stone.

"Tanzetti power is very specific in who it chooses. Only someone of the bloodline can take the power. But there's one exception. In certain cases a bondmate of a current warrior can be chosen. It's rare, but I had a vision once that my bondmate would be able to take the powers. I was sure it was Baylin and I promised him that as soon as I took the power I would bond with him and then he would be a warrior as well."

She paused for a second there and took a breath, reliving her past mistakes.

"But it didn't work," Tommy said softly.

Marcy shook her head. "I was naïve. I didn't know how the power worked. After I took the power I went to Baylin, but the second I touched him I knew he wasn't the one, that he wouldn't be chosen to take the power if we bonded. I would have bonded with him anyway, but he wouldn't have it. He knew my visions were real. If I saw myself with a bondmate who was a Tanzetti then that's who I was meant to be with, and it wasn't him. He saw it as a betrayal and he left. He ran away and I didn't see him again for years, not until he returned with powers of his own. By then it was too late, for both of us."

"But it wasn't your fault," Tanya said suddenly. "You didn't know he wasn't the one in your vision."

Marcy just shook her head. "That wasn't why it was too late. By the time he returned I'd fallen in love with someone else, someone who was a Tanzetti Warrior."

The room was silent as they took in the story. Tommy was the first to speak.

"So now he wants the Tanzetti powers for himself?"

"Yes," Marcy said. "He thinks he's powerful enough now that if he bonds with me he'll be able to take the powers. And I think he's right."

There was a moment of silent confusion but Zordon spoke up in an effort to help. "Bonding is a very subjective magic," he said. "It would be difficult to force such a power on someone."

Marcy turned to the mage and gave him a look of desperation that she rarely allowed herself to show. "I know that. But when I touched him I saw his plans, I saw his powers. There's magic in him that goes beyond explanation, beyond understanding. If he gets a hold of me and the Tanzetti crystals there's no telling what he could do, or who could stop him."

"Isn't that all the more reason we shouldn't turn you over t him?" Tommy asked.

Marcy nodded. It was time for full disclosure. "I said you are going to trade me for Billy," she said. "I have no intention of going with him."

"So, what's the plan?" Rocky piped up. "How are we going to trick him?"

Marcy shook her head and turned back to the Rangers. "You're not. It wouldn't work. There's only one way to keep the powers from him, and that's to destroy them."

She turned took a step forward and looked directly at Tommy. "Once Billy's safe, you have to kill me."

Tommy shook his head. "What? We can't-we just-"

But Marcy was already in front of him. She took his hand and held it to her chest, to a spot just above her heart. "One shot from you're Zeo blaster, right here," she said softly. "The power will die with me and Baylin will have no more use for any of you."

Tommy shook his head and stepped back, "No!"

"If you have another option, I'd love to hear it," Marcy snapped.

"How do you know he'll leave us alone once you're dead," Tommy snapped back. "How do you know he won't come after the Zeo Crystal next?"

"He won't," Marcy said. "He's not that way."

"And if you're wrong?"

Marcy shook her head. "It's the only way to get Billy back. You could attack him now but you may not win and even if you could, he'll make sure Billy's hurt in the process, and if he gets me he gets the Tanzetti power and you're defenseless."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Because he's done it before!"

Her voice echoed through the chamber and she immediately regretted shouting. It was rare her emotions weren't in control like this, but it was Billy. It was Jaden all over again. She would not watch Baylin slay someone else she cared about for the sake of revenge. When she'd touched Baylin she'd seen it in his mind. His powers and hers touched and she had a vision of what he was planning, and of the only outcome that would change it. Her death.

"He killed everyone," Marcy said. "My entire family, my parents, my friends, my…" she swallowed the word lover because putting Billy in Jaden's place was just too much for her right now. "Hundreds of innocent people. I tried to kill him, I destroyed the entire planet trying to take him out and he survived! I won't go through that again, I don't think I can. Just do this, Tommy. It's the only way. Not just for Billy, for everyone. He cannot get the Tanzetti power. Please."

*****

Billy was lying on the cot staring at the ceiling. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get any sleep. He spent most of the time after Baylin left pacing.

He couldn't get the images Baylin had given him out of his head. He kept seeing Marcy's face, hearing her words as she told him he wasn't meant for her, that he wasn't meant for the power.

No! He told himself. It was Baylin she'd been talking to, not him. She wouldn't betray him that way. Baylin was probably lying about that anyway. He couldn't trust that those memories were accurate, that they weren't a trick to turn him against Marcy.

He wouldn't do that. He would never turn against her. His friends were on their way, he kept telling himself. They would be here soon, they would rescue him. Marcy too.

His chest clenched when he thought of her coming to rescue him. He hated not having power anymore, not that he would have stood a chance against Baylin and his shadow warriors, but at least he would have been able to put up a fight. He vowed he would be ready when the others came. He wouldn't be the one standing helpless. He would be ready.

At some point the shadow warriors brought another meal to the room. Billy ate quickly and found himself pacing again. How long had he been here? It felt like hours. He was tired and didn't know what to do next so he lay down on the cot and forced himself to relax. He used some of the breathing exercises Tommy was always teaching him and tried to clear his mind. But his thoughts kept drifting to Marcy.

He was supposed to be with her right now. Surely it was well past time for their dinner. Billy wondered where she was now.

_She is with the others_, he thought. He didn't know how, but he was sure they were all together, all planning on how to take down this Baylin and bring him home. Tommy and Marcy were coming up with a plan, but they couldn't agree on something.

How did he know that? Billy's eyes snapped open at the thought. He had no idea where it had come from but the more he thought about it the more he knew it was true. He didn't know how, but he could feel it, something was wrong with Marcy, she was planning something the others didn't like.

Billy shook his head and relaxed again. It was a crazy thought. Even if it was true Zordon and Tommy would come up with a good plan. The Ranger's would come and they would win. He had to believe that.

Eventually his thoughts became less focused and he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew the door to his room was opened with tremendous force and Baylin was standing before him flanked by several shadow warriors.

"Time to go, little one," Baylin said. "Time to find out just how loyal you're precious Tanzetti is."


	15. Exchange

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Marcy held her breath as she walked through the cave entrance. Tommy had chosen this place because it was secluded and small. It would be hard to escalate a battle in here because of the lack of maneuvering room. He'd sent Rocky and Tanya ahead to scout the area and they waited now, a few yards inside the cave entrance.

"They landed in the chamber just a few minutes ago," Rocky said through his helmet. All of the Rangers were fully morphed, ready for action. Marcy had insisted on it. There was a very good chance this would go badly and she was taking no chance of history repeating itself.

Tommy turned to her and despite the dark tint of his helmet she could feel his eyes pour into hers.

"Let's go," she said before he had a chance to argue with her again. She was ending this here and now.

As they approached the meeting spot Tommy slid a hand around her arm. At first Marcy thought he wanted to appear in more control over the situation by leading her like a prisoner but then she heard the rush of his thoughts. He was thinking of an alternative plan, one where she didn't end up dead.

"No," she whispered. Tommy's grip tightened in grief and she placed her hand over his in reassurance. He could do this, he would, he had to. His love for Billy and obligation to the Rangers outweighed any sense of chivalry he might have toward her. In the end he'd do what needed to be done. He was a lot like Jaden that way.

The cave opened up into a large chamber and she could see Baylin waiting near the center. Just behind him Billy stood, flanked by two Shadow guards. Marcy's eyes met his briefly and she knew he was unhurt. She tore her eyes away from him, forced herself to look at Baylin. To look into the eyes of the man who'd taken everything from her, the man she'd tried to kill. Her death would do little more than buy the Rangers time, but it would be enough to keep Billy safe. It was possible the Zeo crystal would be enough to defeat them, especially with Billy and Tommy working together. But she couldn't think about that. Her duty was to protect the crystals, and that was what she had to do.

"So, you've finally come to your senses," Baylin's haughty voice said.

"I guess so," Marcy replied.

"That must have been some vision I gave you," he replied. "You didn't even hesitate to offer yourself up for him this time. Jaden would have been proud…or would he."

Marcy took a deep breath and resisted the urge to scream at him. He had no right to say Jaden's name in front of her, no right to compare him to Billy. She had done her duty, done what Jaden told her to do. What she avoided thinking was that Baylin was right. She had chosen duty over love then, and she was doing it again now, and for all she knew, that was the real reason her first lover's spirit never came to her in the cave. Not because he wanted to give her peace, but because even in death he couldn't forgive her. She'd know soon enough.

"Give Billy back to the Rangers," Marcy said. "You have what you want."

Baylin's face darkened. "You have the crystal?"

Marcy pulled the chain from under her shirt so the pink jewel was visible in the dim light.

"Marcy, no!"

Marcy felt herself flinch at Billy's voice but refused to look at him. Baylin smiled and with a wave of hand Billy was dragged across the chamber and dropped at Tommy's feet. The warriors walked calmly back to their master and Marcy turned and met the star shaped visor of the Red Ranger.

Now Tommy!

"I'm sorry, Billy," Tommy's soft voice said and he pulled his Zeo blaster from his belt and fired.

****

At first Billy didn't realize what was happening. Marcy had moved away from the Rangers and was standing in front of Baylin. He looked up at Tommy, waiting for the action to start. They had a plan, he knew it. Marcy turned to look back at them and Billy watched her, waiting for the signal that would send the Rangers in to stop Baylin.

But the signal didn't come. Marcy looked at Tommy and instantly Billy knew what was going to happen. He couldn't explain how or why, but he knew exactly what the plan was and what Tommy was going to do next.

"I'm sorry, Billy."

The Red Ranger lifted his blaster and pulled the trigger and at the same moment Billy jumped to his feet and tackled Tommy just as the blaster went off.

Then everything quickly exploded into chaos.

Blaster bolts were going off, there was screaming and Billy felt hands wrap around his shoulders and pull him away. He kicked and clawed at the multi-colored arms that restrained him, but they held him fast.

He couldn't see much at first, but the restraints eased up at one point and he saw a pink force field had been erected in the center of the chamber. Marcy and Baylin were standing on the opposite side. She was on the ground and his hands were glowing a bright blue.

Marcy was hurt, he somehow knew. And she couldn't fight Baylin off and keep the force field up and block the shadow warriors. So instead she moved away and he saw here pull something off her neck, the crystal.

Then everything went fuzzy and there was a rushing sound that rattled his eardrums. But somewhere in the chaos he heard Marcy's voice.

_Billy, protect the crystal. Whatever you do, do not let them get it. Do not let Baylin get it, no matter what. _

Then there was a flash of bright light and the last thing he saw was Marcy collapsed on the ground before everything went black.

****

**Sorry my posts haven't been as frequent. I had some issues and a bad case of writer's block. I'm back in the groove for now and I'll try to keep chapters coming as often as I can. Hopefully I'll at least finish this before the next crisis hits. **

**Remember, all feedback is welcome. Let me know how you like this so far. I made a few tweaks to my original vision to give Marcy and Billy a little more tension. Drop me a review and tell me what you think! **


	16. The Flaw in the Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

**Surprise! I took some time to edit today and found that I had a few Tanzetti chapters ready to go. And I thought I was at a standstill. My writer's block is you're gain. Enjoy!**

*****

Billy slowly came awake. The lights were dim and for a second he didn't know where he was, but then his eyes adjusted to the colorful haze of medical equipment that lined the walls over his head and he recognized the Command Center's sick bay.

At first he didn't move much. His body was sore and his head was still spinning. When he heard the voices outside he stopped moving completely.

"….didn't know what was happening."

"…doesn't excuse…going to do now?"

"Just relax…will think of something."

He was pretty sure one of the voice's was Adam's, the other sounded like Tommy. They continued to whisper but he could only make out snippets of the conversation and he didn't have the brain power yet to listen any harder. He tried to pull himself to a sitting position and felt the room spin and he fell back against the pillow.

"Billy?" a soft voice called his name. He felt a hand touch his face gently and opened his eyes again to see Kat standing over him. "Are you awake? What's wrong?"

"Marcy," he could barely get the words out, but he needed to know. It was the only thing he wanted to know.

"Just relax," Kat said. "You're going to be fine."

He wouldn't be fine until he knew Marcy was safe, and the fact that Kat had evaded answering him was not a good sign. He forced himself up again and made it this time, but barely. He had to grip the edge of the bed to keep from falling over.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"He took her," Tommy said evenly. Billy saw Kat shoot him a dirty look but the Red Ranger kept his eyes on Billy. Billy was grateful for the honesty even though he knew Tommy had every right to be angry with him. "You have no idea what you did pulling a move like that Billy."

"You tried to kill her!" Billy slid off the table despite Kat trying to stop him and crossed over to his friend. "What were you thinking?"

"I wouldn't have killed her!" Tommy said. "It was part of the plan! The crystal would have kept her alive but Baylin would have thought she was dead. It would have put Baylin off balance enough for us to use the Zeo crystal to take him down and get you both out of there. But you stepped in the way and now she's gone."

Billy felt his legs give way and he would have collapsed if Tommy hadn't taken him by the arm and steered him into a nearby chair first.

"She wanted me to kill her," Tommy said softly. "She wanted to die for you."

With that Tommy turned on heel and marched out of the room.

*****

"Where is the crystal?"

Marcy took a deep breath and braced for the pain. It didn't come as fast as she wanted but once it was over she was angry it hadn't been enough to make her pass out. But then, Baylin was too cruel to give her that kind of peace.

"Where is it?" he demanded again.

"Go fuck yourself."

The pain came before she could prepare and when it finally stopped she couldn't remember how to breathe.

"I can go on like this forever, Madala, but you can't."

"Just kill me then," Marcy answered.

For several seconds the silence just hung between them. She wasn't afraid of death, and even if she were, there was nothing to fear. Baylin wouldn't kill her, he couldn't, not if he wanted the power of the crystals. He could still force the bonding, and she was a little surprised he hadn't yet, but that would come, if she didn't find another way to die first.

"You're begging for death," Baylin said. "Good, that's the first step."

"You can force me to bond with you," Marcy said. "But you won't get anything else without the crystal. I'll be dead long before you ever find it."

Baylin's face darkened and Marcy knew he was realizing the truth. Time was not on his side. The longer she went without the crystal the weaker she would get. Even his powers wouldn't be able to keep her alive forever.

"Well then," he said. "Let's get started."

She barely got her breath in before the pain hit her again.

*****

Billy stood in front of the computer console staring at a picture of the moon. He clicked a button and the view changed. It was still the moon, but from a different angle. Still nothing. He clicked the button again.

There was a movement next to him and he saw Adam step up beside him. The Green Ranger didn't say anything, but just watched as Billy changed to yet another viewpoint. After three view changes he finally got the courage to speak.

"You're looking for Baylin?"

"Yes."

"I thought we couldn't find the source of his power."

"I'm not looking for a power source."

"Then what are you looking for?"

Billy clicked yet another view and finally saw what he was looking for. "Shadows."

He clicked a few more keys and angled every satellite the Command Center had on the coordinates of the picture. "There," he said pointing to the spot in space just above the moon's surface.

"What is it?" Tommy appeared on his left side. Billy hadn't seen Tommy since he'd stormed out of the sick bay room. He glanced briefly at his leader then went back to the screen in front of them.

"I've found Baylin's ship."

"He has a ship?"

Billy nodded. "I was there," he said. "He's cloaking it from the sensor's somehow but he can't cloak the shadow."

He clicked a button and highlighted a small section of the moon. The shadow was faint, but unmistakable because it clearly didn't match any of the surrounding landforms. He highlighted another section of the picture.

"The ship is somewhere in this space," he said.

"Can you teleport us in?" Tommy asked.

Billy stepped back. "I can't be sure exactly where the ship is. If I'm off on the coordinates you could end up in dead space, or worse, stuck in a wall or something. I need a way to narrow it down."

"You're communicator," Adam said. Billy instinctively reached for his wrist and realized his communicator was still missing.

"Marcy had it," Adam supplied. "She was wearing it when they took her."

Billy tapped a few keys on the panel, looking for any sign of his communicator signal. He'd given each one a specific power reading so they could be easily traced, but the signal wasn't present anywhere.

"It's too weak to be detected through the cloaking device," Billy said. "We'd have to find a way to boost it, or deactivate the shield. I could do it if I was there…" He stopped that train of thought dead. The desire to find Marcy had been haunting him since he woke up. Tommy's revelation that his act of defiance had cost them success was still eating at him. And more than that, he knew something was wrong with Marcy. Nothing had felt right since he'd woken up. The words in his head kept replaying. Protect the Crystal. She didn't have crystal or her powers, and she was in pain. He could feel it.

Again he tried to shake those thoughts away. He couldn't afford to be distracted by fantasy. He needed to focus.

"There's got to be another way onto that ship," he said.

"What about Marcy's powers," Tommy said. "If she's using them to defend herself could we find her that way?"

Billy shook his head. "She doesn't have her powers."

Tommy turned to him suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"The crystal," Billy said. "She did something to it, it's hidden. That flash of light, that was her sending it somewhere."

Billy stopped when he saw the look on Tommy's face. Billy realized what he'd just said and opened his mouth to try and explain but Tommy spoke first.

"How do you know that?"

Billy took a deep breath and told them everything. He told them about the cell he was kept in on Baylin's ship, and how Baylin had read his mind by force and how the whole time he could somehow feel Marcy's presence, he knew she was safe and coming for him. And then about the moment in the cave where he saw what Tommy was going to do, and hearing Marcy's voice warning him to protect the crystal. He didn't admit how he could feel her now, out of reach, and enduring Baylin's torture.

When he was done explaining he waited, sure they were all going to call him crazy or lovesick or something. But no one spoke for a long time. Finally, Tommy stepped forward, a look of determination on his face. "We need to find that crystal."


	17. I'd Come for You

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

**Yes, another Nickelback song. I can't help what I like. **

*****

Tommy looked up when a blue shaft of light appeared in the center of the Power Chamber. Rocky stepped forward and sighed.

"I asked all around the Youth Center," he said. "Nothing."

Tommy saw Billy fall back against the computer consol and run both fingers through his hair. "We're going about this wrong," he said. "We're missing something, something obvious."

Tommy had to agree. They had to be missing something. They'd looked everywhere for the crystal. Gone through her house, her car, even Billy's house and found nothing.

"Maybe we're looking at it the wrong way," Tanya said suddenly. "If she wanted Billy to find the crystal she would have put it somewhere he'd find it. There has to be a clue somewhere. What were the exact words again? Say everything, exactly as she told you."

Billy sighed as if it were pointless, but recited the message again with as much conviction as he could muster. "Protect the crystal. Whatever you do, do not let them get it. Do-"

"Wait," Tanya said. "She said 'protect' the crystal."

"Yes."

"She didn't say 'find' it."

"Yes, but-"

Billy's eyes went wide. "You don't think…?"

Billy shot upright and slid his hands in his pockets. Tommy saw him freeze for a second and then his right hand appeared holding the crystal on a thin gold chain.

"You mean you've had it this whole time?"

Billy gripped the necklace tight in his hand and Tommy saw his hand shake. He let out a nervous laugh and Tanya patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "You were right, it was something obvious."

"What do we do now?" Tommy asked.

"We have to get on that ship," Billy said turning to the console.

"The computer has been running scans on the shadow placements in the satellite images." He tapped a few keys and the image of moon came up. A few more keys and an overlay appeared. "This is the basic layout of the ship that it's come up with. I can't guarantee the layout once we're inside, but I can safely teleport us on there. After that we'll be on our own."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

Billy kept his eyes on the viewing globe. "I'm going with you."

"The hell you are," Tommy bit out. "We just got you back."

The former Blue Ranger turned to him and Tommy knew that look in his eyes. "I have to do this, Tommy."

The Red Ranger shook his head. "No. You don't have powers and we can't look for Marcy if we're protecting you."

"Tommy, I-"

"He's right, Billy," Rocky's voice interjected. Tommy was shocked that Rocky came to his defense. Rocky had kept a lot of distance between himself and Billy the last few months. Everyone knew he felt guilty about taking Billy's color, like he should have been the one to give up his powers. His next words shocked everyone. "Marcy saved my life once too. I haven't forgotten that. I'm not stopping until she's safe."

"She saved me, too," Katherine interjected. "And even if she hadn't I'd go after her, for you, Billy. You've done so much for us and you've never asked for anything. Let us do this for you."

"Yeah," Adam said stepping up beside Kat. "We're a team. We help our friends, all of them."

Tanya stood up a little straighter and took a step closer to Adam. Tommy just stared at his team. He couldn't have been more proud as leader. He knew they would all gladly give their lives for another team member, even for Billy, but seeing them offering themselves up for his happiness, it was overwhelming, and one glance at Billy said that his friend was feeling the same way.

"Guys," he breathed. "I don't, I don't know what to-"

Kat stepped forward and put a hand on Billy's shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "You' don't have to say anything. You're still a Ranger to us."

Then she wrapped her arms around him and Tommy smiled as Billy gathered her in his arms and held on. When Kat stepped back Tommy could see his friend wiping tears from his eyes, but didn't say anything.

Finally, he stepped forward and the Rangers automatically fell in line next to him.

"Set the coordinates," Tommy said. "We'll morph in and-"

He was cut off by the sharp ring of the emergency alarm.

"Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai! There's a monster attacking in the park!" Alpha shouted over the alarm.

_No, not now, please not now_.

"King Mondo must be trying to distract you," Zordon said.

"If Baylin moves the ship during the battle I may not be able to find it again," Billy said.

"We can't just let the monster run loose," Rocky said.

"You guys go take care of the monster," Tommy said. "I'll go to the ship and get Marcy and come back to join you."

"You can't," Billy said. "What if they need the (name) Zord?"

"Maybe we can take the monster down before the ship moves."

"Whatever we do, we need to do it now."

Tommy gritted his teeth and made a decision. "Take out the monster, I'm going to the ship alone. Hold out as long as you can, as soon as I'm back with Marcy I'll join you. If you take down the monster first come find me."

"Tommy," Billy started.

"It's the best way," Tommy said. "Let's go. It's morphin time!"

*****

The ship was cold. That was the first thought that came to mind when Tommy landed in the dark corridor. He wasn't physically cold, his power suit would protect him from most climate conditions, but there was still this general lack of warmth that he couldn't get over. Maybe it was the perfectly polished metal that made up the walls and floors, or the lack of light and sun. Something about this environment just screamed desolate.

He moved slowly down the hallway, not wanting to alert anyone to his presence. There weren't any sounds coming from anywhere. Tommy chose a direction and began moving down the hall slowly.

Billy had given him a signal booster to trace his movements in the ship. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to trace him while he was on the ship or not, but he hoped so. If not he wouldn't get a second chance at this.

He clicked the signal booster once and tried his communicator.

"Billy, do you read me?"

There was a pause, then he heard something click. "Yes, Tommy, the signal booster's working. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but this ship is huge. I'm not sure where to go."

"Try to head aft," Billy said. "I'm pretty sure they were keeping me somewhere in the back of the ship."

Tommy shook his head. He had no idea what back and front where up here. So he took one more look down the vast hall, picked a direction, and took off.

****

Billy ran a hand through his too-long hair and started pacing again. On the viewing globe his friends were getting pummeled badly by King Mondo's monster.

"Billy," Zordon said. "We're going to need to bring Tommy back soon. The others will not be able to finish this fight without him."

Billy went back to the computer kiosk, but there wasn't much more he could do. He'd re-routed every spare ounce of power to the zords, but they were still losing. They couldn't combine without Tommy.

"He needs more time," Billy said.

"Baylin's ship is vast," Zordon said. "There is no way he can search it in the limited amount of time, and the longer he stays there the more likely it is he'll be caught."

"I know." Billy sighed again and stared at the computer. He had to do it. He knew. If the Rangers were defeated in battle there was no way they could stand up to Baylin later. And if Tommy got caught everything was over anyway. And Marcy….

They'd have to find another way. She was still alive, that much he knew. The crystal around his neck glowed pink with her power. If she were dead the power would die out. But he could feel it getting weaker. She needed her crystal back, he needed her back.

"Okay, Zordon," Billy said. "I'll bring Tommy back, then I'm going in his place."

"Billy, no!" Alpha scurried to his side.

"Marcy's dying out there. I can't stand around waiting for it to happen. Mondo sent this attack to distract us. I can't let her die, Zordon."

"Billy, without your powers you are vulnerable if you get caught. Marcy's crystal cannot protect you, and we may not be able to get to you in time."

Billy stood straight. "I'm going, Zordon. I've been tracing Tommy's movements and with the extrapolations I made from the shadows I have a much better idea of where to look. I know I can find her."

He noticed for the first time that his hand had drifted to this chest where the pink crystal hung. He'd caught himself doing that several times since he found the jewel in his pocket. He wondered if there was a way for him to access the powers.

Without another word he keyed in the sequence to teleport Tommy onto the battle field. He relayed the message that Tommy was needed more there. He left out that he'd be going back to the ship himself, but he knew Tommy would figure that out sooner or later. Hopefully by then he'd have Marcy back safe in the Command Center.

He keyed in the sequence for the spot on the ship he thought most likely to hold Marcy, took a deep breath, and teleported out.

*****

**I know, painfully short and sweet. Legacy kind of took on a mind of its own and forgot that Reborn wasn't finished yet (try explaining continuity to a plotbunny!). I'm also re-editing Rhea because there's a chance it will have an agent representing it soon. Anyway, don't forget to review, and keep an eye on my homepage for updates on my original stories. I'm planning to try and blog there more regularly as I go through the publishing process. **


	18. Chamber

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Billy landed on the smooth steel of the ship's deck. He was standing in a narrow hallway made of metal. He wasn't sure where to go from there. He hadn't been entirely truthful with Zordon, he had been tracking Tommy's movements, but he had no idea if they were leading him to the right place or not. He took a deep breath and forced himself not to panic. Marcy was here, he knew it.

After the second breath he felt something. The crystal on his neck hummed with energy. He touched it gently and the energy was even stronger. The crystal knew she was here too. Zordon had said Billy couldn't access the Tanzetti powers, but what if he was wrong? The power was so strong, so solid he felt like he could touch it, like he did when he was Power Ranger.

He pulled the signal booster out of his pocket. He'd teleported it back to the power chamber when he sent Tommy into battle. He took a moment and coordinated his communicator signal into it. After several seconds the booster in his hand beeped. It had found the signal from his communicator. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled up the coordinates. The booster was also programmed with a teleporting mechanism, he could teleport to the communicator. Without even thinking he closed his eyes and pushed the button to teleport.

There was a hiss and the air suddenly felt charged, like when you're shocked by static electricity. A scream was echoing through the air, and he knew it was Marcy's voice. He opened his eyes but he was no longer standing in the hallway. He was in a small black-walled chamber, and right in front of him, was Baylin.

"How did you get in here?" he demanded.

Then a shot of blue light went through the air. Billy dove to the side on instinct and hit the cold floor just as the energy connected with the wall where he had just been standing.

He looked around the room for Marcy. She was on the floor in a heap on the opposite side of the room. He heard the zing of another blue energy blaze and got to his feet and ran. There was nowhere to hide in the chamber and he was sure his pale skin and white shirt stood out perfectly against the black metal of the walls. He just kept moving, staying close to the wall, out of Baylin's reach, and didn't stop until he was at Marcy's side.

"Billy, how did you get here?" she whispered.

She was so weak she could barely move and she was bleeding in multiple places. He automatically cradled her head in his lap. "The communicator."

"You have the crystal?"

He quickly pulled the chain off his head and placed it in her hand. He hadn't even taken a breath when it began to glow, then her whole body was glowing with faint pink light. It died down as quickly as it began and when the light faded away the blood and bruises were gone. Marcy got to her feet easily, and Baylin was ready.

"So, he's come for you at last," Baylin said another ball of blue energy forming in his hand. "Now you can die together."

Marcy shook her head. "No."

Then she was on him. The center of the chamber exploded in pink and blue sparks as they fought. It was too fast for Billy to track their moves exactly, but Marcy was incredible, she was also losing.

Baylin dealt a hard blow to her face, reinforced by mass of energy, and Marcy fell back, sliding several feet across the smooth black floor before stopping. From his spot, Billy could see the bruises on her face from the blow.

"No!" he shouted despite himself and Baylin's attention turned to him, as if suddenly remembering he was there.

The larger man approached and Billy got to his feet. He knew he couldn't fight Baylin. The magic he doled out in that blue lightening had taken Tommy down in one blow, but he couldn't stand there while Marcy suffered either.

"You should have listened to me, boy," Baylin said. "The Tanzetti always lead their lovers to their death. It's there way, and now it's yours."

"Stop!" Marcy's voice echoed from across the room. She was back on her feet, but she her steps were slow and stalled. "Don't Baylin. Let him go."

A small crooked smile crossed the sorcerer's lips. "And here we are again, Madala," he said. "How is it we always end up here?"

"Baylin, please." Her voice was soft, pleading. Billy had never imagined Marcy to be willing to beg for anything in her life. The image of her in the alleyway the night Sarah was attacked, begging him to hit her so she could blame it on Jasper came to mind. She'd begged him for that, but she'd been strong, not desperate, not like now.

Baylin reached for his belt and drew out a short curved knife. The hilt was stark white and glittered with jewels that shone bright against the black of the chamber.

"Do you remember this, Madala?" he asked. "You remember the choice you made the last time I held this knife to your lover's throat?"

He took a step toward Billy and Marcy screamed.

"All right!" she said. Billy saw over Baylin's shoulder that she'd removed the crystal from her neck. "Don't do this. I'll give you what you want."

Baylin turned to her and saw the jewel she was holding out. He took a step toward her, still keeping himself between them.

"You choose this one over the power?" Baylin said. "What would Jaden think?"

Marcy took a step and faltered. "Just let him go. I'll give you whatever you want as soon as Billy's safe."

"You'll give me everything," he said. "The bonding, the power."

"If the crystals accept you," Marcy said.

"The crystals accept who the empath tells them to!" Baylin roared.

Marcy nodded. "That's right," she said. "I will choose."

"You will choose me."

Marcy nodded again. "Send Billy home."

With a wave of Baylin's hand a portal appeared at the side of the room. Through the white light of the rift Billy could see the rock formations of a desert terrain.

"Go on, little one," Baylin said. "The cycle is broken at last."

"Go, Billy," Marcy said.

But Billy hesitated. "Not without you."

Baylin started to laugh and Marcy shouted. "Billy, go now!"

He felt the fear welling up inside him, but Billy stood his ground. He came here for Marcy, he wasn't leaving without her. He hadn't considered that he might die with her, but at that moment he knew he couldn't walk away without her, and he didn't care if it killed him.

"Last chance, little one," Baylin said.

"No," Marcy said, an edge to her voice that wasn't there before. "It's yours."

The Marcy moved faster than Billy could see and wrapped one hand around Baylin's neck. He cried out, but she didn't let go. The light of her power glowed from her hands as she held him, and his power began to fight back.

There was an explosion between them and both warriors flew back and hit the walls on opposite sides of the chamber. Billy rushed to Marcy's side and pulled her up. Her body was limp and she clung to him.

"Go," she said. "The portal's still open. Get out of here."

"Not without you," he said. Then without thinking he scooped her up in his arms and ran for the portal. He felt the electric sizzle of the magical opening and then a blast of hot air his face and his feet were in sand. The loose terrain caught his feet and he tripped, taking Marcy down with him into the hot sand. He pulled himself up and turned just in time to see the portal close behind him.

He turned back to Marcy. She was barely conscious and her breath was coming hard. He didn't know if she could heal herself again to he did the only thing he could think of next.

"Zordon, this is Billy, do you read me?"

"Yes, Billy," Zordon's voice came over the comm and Billy released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"I have Marcy but she's injured. We're in a desert somewhere. Can you teleport us back?"

"I have you locked in now," Zordon said.

Billy felt his shoulders fall as the tension released. He took Marcy's hand and waited for the teleport beams to swallow them both up. When they landed in the Command Center he saw his friends rush around them. They were still morphed, with their helmets off and they surrounded him as he maneuvered around to lift Marcy up.

She stirred as he held her and he hesitated.

"Billy, why did you do that?"

He pushed the hair out of her face and said, "It's alright. You're going to be alright now."

But her fingers dug into his shirt as a look of horror spread across her face. "No, Billy. It's not alright. It's never going to be alright again."

*****

**Wow, look at that, you got a third chapter, and guess what? You get a fourth too. I had a lot more done than I thought. Keep reading and don't forget to review. **


	19. Truth Be Told

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

"I was four years old when I had my first vision," Marcy said. She sat on the worktable in the corner of the Command Center. Billy had offered to take her to the infirmary, but she knew the crystal would heal her on her own as soon as she'd rested a bit. In the meantime she had decided to tell them the story of Tanzetti, the whole story. "My uncle was dying and my grandmother took me to visit him in the hospice. I knew she was sad because he was her brother and had been the leader of the Tanzetti for as long as most people could remember.

"I turned away, not wanting to see her so sad, and my cousin Jaden was standing there. He was eleven at the time and I guess he thought it would help and he reached out and hugged me. That's when I saw it. Him, several years older, wearing the uniform of the White Tanzetti.

"I guess I said it out loud because the next thing I knew, everyone was around me, asking questions, freaking out about what had happened, until my grandmother finally stepped in. She made me tell her exactly what I saw. When I did she didn't scold me or yell at me like I thought she would. She calmly turned to Jaden and took his face in both her hands. But she didn't see it. The other members of my family said that was proof it was a fluke, or that I was lying, but my grandmother told them no, it was true. She took me home then and explained to me what was happening, and what was going to happen."

Marcy looked over the faces of the teenagers in front of her. They stood in a circle around the table. Their faces didn't display mistrust, but there was no happiness in them either. Billy was the closest to her, standing just to her right. She wanted to reach out and touch his hand, feel his thoughts, but the way he was looking away from her made her hesitate. He'd been oddly quiet since their return to the Power Chamber and Marcy had a good idea why.

"So, then there was Baylin," she began.

"You already told us about Baylin," Tommy said.

Marcy nodded. She figured the others would have filled Billy in on her story about Baylin. She also knew Baylin himself had shown Billy a version of events, though it was not quite the truth. She wondered if that was why he had so much trouble looking at her now. Baylin had twisted the truth to suit his own needs, but even when she told him her version, those images would always be there. She couldn't unmake them from his memory. He would always see those images, he would always wonder how much truth was in them compared to her version.

"Then perhaps I should tell you about Jaden," she said. "I was twenty-one when I took the power. My grandmother had gotten a terminal illness and couldn't fight anymore. She passed the power on to me only a few weeks before she died.

"I was right about my first vision. Jaden did become the White Warrior, but not until he turned fifteen. I hadn't seen him much since then, but after I took my powers, I saw him all the time. I was quite a bit younger than the others on the team and even thought I'd had my powers since I was four, some people had a hard time taking me seriously. But Jaden was different. He hadn't forgotten the role I played in his rise to power. I'd predicted it, and he never doubted me after that. I didn't know how things would play out; I didn't know I would…"

"Fall in love with him?"

The words came from Billy and Marcy felt them like fire on her skin. She nearly reached out for him then, but stopped, knowing that would just make it worse. She couldn't apologize for loving Jaden, he'd been a part of her life, and she couldn't let that go. If it weren't for that love she wouldn't be here now, but she wasn't sure how to explain that to Billy. This was a difficult for him as it was for her. She swallowed hard before continuing.

"And then Baylin came back. It had been years since I'd seen him, I almost didn't recognize him. He went on a rampage, attacking Tanzetti and anyone close to them. We fought him for years. His Shadow warriors were more than we'd ever seen before. They're made of pure magic, some dark source that Baylin controls. They're not even alive.

"Anyway, after two years of war we knew we were losing and people were dying. We gathered the planet's leaders and made the evacuation plans, but that changed when my father discovered a weakness in Baylin's fortress on the nearby moon. Jaden thought it was worth trying to sabotage the base and went with my father to complete the mission. But they were captured.

"Baylin sent a message that he would ransom them if I came to the fortress alone to negotiate. I had no idea what he wanted now, I thought maybe he wanted my life for theirs, or maybe the bonding I'd promised him years ago, but I decided to go. I left my sister and cousins to defend the evacuation ships and took off at the same time for the moon. I couldn't teleport through space so I had to take a starship. The evac ships took off at the same time and Baylin's forces intercepted them. I was too far away to help and before I could even change course I saw the ships explode. The four crystals belonging to the other Tanzetti came to me then, as they do when one of us dies. They were dead, and I was alone.

"I stayed on course and went to the fortress. I went in unopposed, there wasn't a Shadow Warrior in sight. Then I came to the main chamber and saw Jaden first. He was on his knees in front of Baylin, a long ornate knife at his throat."

"'The great Tanzetti finally come for their leader,' he said.

"'The Tanzetti are dead,' I told him though I was sure he already knew. 'There's nothing left for you now.'

"'Oh, but there is,' Baylin said. "Give me the crystals; give me the power of the Tanzetti."

"I shook my head. I had the four crystals with me, and I knew he already had two, safely hidden away. There was no way Jaden would have been on his knees if he had his crystal with him. I reached for the crystals. I would have gladly given them over, for Jaden, for my father…"

"But he wouldn't let you," Tommy said. Marcy just nodded. Tommy would understand that thinking, even if the others didn't. She could still hear Jaden's voice, the last words he said to her.

"It's you're job to protect the power, that's always been your responsibility."

He was right, and she knew it. She'd seen the look in his eyes and knew he'd gladly go to his death if it meant the power was protected. He chose the power over her in that moment, and she had no choice but to do the same.

Marcy pulled out the knife, the one Baylin had held to Billy, the same knife he'd sliced Jaden's throat with that day. It was Jaden's own knife, it had been given to him when he'd taken his crystal, a gift from his father. She'd taken it from him in the chamber. It was a Tanzetti weapon, and as long as she drew breath Baylin would not have any power of the Tanzetti on his side.

No one else said anything. They didn't need too, they could all guess what happened next. Next to her, Billy shifted his weight uncomfortably. Part of her desperately wanted him to reach out to her, to take her in his arms and comfort her, but part of her was glad he didn't.

After a few seconds she gathered herself up enough to tell the rest of the story, how Baylin had run like a coward, leaving her to watch as Jaden bled to death on the floor. By the time she'd gathered herself from the grief and realized her father was still somewhere in the castle, it was too late for him, he'd been away from his crystal for too long and by the time she got to him he was gone as well. Baylin didn't know that when a Tanzetti died their crystal transported itself to the nearest warrior. He had both Jaden and her father's crystals in his possession when he left the moon for Caldyne, but they were both in Marcy's hands before he reached the surface.

"So what did you do?" Tommy asked.

Marcy held her head high as she said the words she knew would hit hardest. "I went back to the Temple of the Mists," she said. "And I used the power of the crystals to destroy the planet."

It was a very harsh moment in the power chamber. Marcy was suddenly very grateful no one was touching her because the looks on everyone's faces were more than enough to tell what they all were thinking.

"You actually destroyed the planet?" Rocky said, breaking the silence of the shock. Marcy felt Billy stiffen and wondered if he was putting the pieces together. That one night, eight months ago when she'd asked him to show her a supernova nearly forty thousand light years away.

"Yes," Marcy said. "I had to, I couldn't think of any other force strong enough to destroy Baylin."

"What about the people on the planet?"

"There was no one left. The ships had evacuated everyone and they were destroyed. There was no one left except Baylin's troops."

At this Billy finally pushed away from the table and crossed the room. The other's watched him go but said nothing as he walked the length of the Power Chamber an leaned against one of the consoles.

"So, what do we do now?" Tommy asked.

"I don't know," Marcy said. "I don't know what it will take to kill him, but if I have to fight him again…I don't know if I'll survive."

Tommy shook his head and turned and went back to the console to stand by Billy. "There's got to be something else, another power source we can use. What about the Zeo crystal?"

Billy shook his head. "It might be strong enough, but we'd risk damaging it." He sighed. "I don't know."

"It's possible I could combine the powers of the crystals again," Marcy said. "I can do it without tapping into the energy of the planet."

"What if you combined that with the Zeo power?"

Marcy shrugged. "It might work, but you'd have to give over your power. Billy's right, though, if it doesn't work, it could damage the crystal permanently, even destroy it."

"We have to try it," Tommy said. "We can't let a force like Baylin roam free."

"Sunrise," Marcy said thinking quickly. "There's a ritual I know that will combine the power. But it will attract Baylin, he'll come for us."

"Zordon?"

"There is one other option," Zordon said.

Marcy felt her heart freeze. She knew what the old mage was thinking. She jumped off the table and crossed the room faster than anyone could see.

"No," Marcy said. "It's not an option. You won't mention it again."

"What is it?" It was the first time Billy had spoken directly to her, and even Tommy jumped. He was turned to her now, his eyes hard and expectant.

"Nothing," Marcy said. "Something that won't work."

"Tell us," he said. "We could make it work." He did reach out to her then. His hand took her arm as if he were going to pull her forward, but that was the last she saw of the power chamber in that moment. Her vision clouded with light and then Billy was in front of her again, only it wasn't Billy as he stood before her now. He was older, taller, wearing a tunic of the clearest blue silk with the crest of the Tanzetti on the right shoulder. The light around him emanated from a blue crystal around his neck.

"NO!"

Her vision ceased and she was standing in the middle of the chamber. Billy and Tommy only a few feet in front of her, eyes wide in shock, the others had rushed in but she took another step back as they approached.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just give me a second."

"What did you see?"

She looked up and Billy was nearly on her. He reached out again and stepped away. "Don't touch me!" She couldn't bear that vision again, or anything like it. But it was the wrong thing to say and she knew it. Billy took a step back, his eyes blazing like she'd struck him. Then he took one more step back, turned on heel, and strode out of the room.

Tommy called after his friend and moved to follow but Marcy stopped him. "Let him go," she said. "He's seen too much today. He needs to deal with it. I'll go to him when he's ready."

Tommy simply stood there starring after his friend. Marcy reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sunrise tomorrow," she said. "One way or another, this is going to end."

*****

**Unfortunately I have to stop here because I've officially run out of chapters to post. I usually don't catch myself up this far but I thought, hey I haven't done much in a few weeks, you all deserve it. I appreciate the patience and will reward it in kind as fast as I'm able. We're really close to the end, I promise, and once this is done I have like six chapters of Legacy ready to go so get ready for some heavy reading over the next few months, assuming I can keep going on this of course. **

**Remember, all reviews are welcome! **


	20. White Rose at Sunrise

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Marcy took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. She'd been standing outside the door to Billy's garage lab for ten minutes trying to think of the best way to approach him. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she couldn't bear the thought of making him like her. Not having powers may have hurt him, but from her point of view bonding would be a curse compared to a life without power, she just hoped she could make him understand why.

The overhead lights were off, but she knew he was there. She could hear the soft clicking of computer keys at the workbench. He didn't look up, or stop working as she approached him.

"Billy?" He didn't move, or acknowledge her presence so she reached out to touch him arm and he pulled away.

"I know what he showed you. I wish I could take it away."

"It's not just that," Billy said. He leaned his palms against the workbench and looked down. "You think I don't know those images were a lie? It's…it's everything! You! I don't even know who you are. I thought…"

"Billy." She reached out again and he turned away.

"You destroyed an entire planet!"

"That's what's bothering you?"

His back tensed as he took a deep breath, the way he did when he needed to be calm. "That and other things."

"Tell me." Marcy took another step closer when Billy turned around quickly. His eyes were red from the stress, but he looked straight into hers with no abandon.

"What did you see when I touched you?"

Marcy shook her head. "That doesn't matter."

"Was I dead?"

"No."

"Was I with him, with Baylin?"

"Billy please!"

He took a step forward and Marcy automatically took one back. "Zordon said Baylin wanted to use the bonding to control you," he said so coolly Marcy shivered. "What if you bonded to someone else? Would that stop him?"

"I don't know," Marcy said.

"What would happen?" Billy asked.

Marcy hesitated. If she told him now he'd want to go through with it, he'd offer himself up to protect her and possibly die with her. "There's a chance that the right candidate could take the Tanzetti power by proxy. Then there would be two warriors to face Baylin, more power to fight him."

Billy took another step and Marcy had to lock her knees to keep from stepping away. "But I can't take that power," he said. "I'm not the right candidate."

Marcy opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. The lie was there, so simple. No, Billy, you're not. She couldn't say it. After several tries all she managed to say was, "It's not that simple."

"Of course it's that simple," Billy said, his voice rising.

"No," Marcy said. "Bonding is permanent. It's an old magic, more powerful than anything I've ever seen in the universe. There's no undoing it. You're still young, you have choices and options. Bonding with me now will change all of that."

"But you'll die," Billy said. "You'd rather die than be with me?"

"I'd rather die than take away your future. I can't do that to you. There's no guarantee it would even work. I don't have time to train you, to teach you what you need to know to use you're power. We could bond and he could still kill us. Do you really want to take that risk?"

He stepped forward then and grabbed her by the arms. She was shoved against the bench, assaulted by the sudden wave of emotion flowing between them. She felt every ounce of anger he held for her, every bit of resentment and pain. She also felt something else, just below that, his love, his passion for her. The fear and passion he'd felt when he knew she was in trouble. The love that drove him to rescue her without thinking about the consequences for himself.

It was all too clear what his answer was, but it wasn't enough to change hers.

His eyes were blazing as she read all of this from him. Then he let go of her abruptly and stormed from the room. She made it to the other side of the garage just as he slammed the door shut. She pounded uselessly, calling his name, but he didn't come back. He wouldn't now.

"Billy!" she screamed. "You have to understand."

Then she took a deep breath and said the only thing she could think of that might change his mind.

"It was the white rose," she said. "The one you brought me to apologize. It's how I knew you were in trouble. I knocked it off the counter and broke the vase and when I went to pick it up I saw a flash of you being attacked by cogs and the Rangers showing up too late. I've never had anything like that happen before. I've never been able to see anyone before without touching them. I didn't know what it meant then, and I still don't, but something is different between us. Something about you makes it different."

There was no response from the other side of the door. "Please Billy," she begged. "I don't want to spend my last night on earth alone."

Still no response. Marcy stood there for what felt like an eternity waiting. Billy didn't come back, she didn't know if he could even hear her. Finally, she couldn't cry anymore and the sunlight was disappearing through the thin garage windows and she knew it was hopeless.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the unopened door, then teleported away.

*****

Tommy landed on the rocky ground of the cliff where Marcy had told the Rangers to come. The others surrounded him landing at the same time. Marcy was already on the cliff waiting. The deep purple light of pre-dawn. She turned to face them when as they approached.

"You brought it?" she asked.

Rocky stepped forward holding a large case. He set it on the ground between Tommy and Marcy and Tommy knelt down and opened it. Inside the multi-colored Zeo crystal glowed softly in the dim light.

"I'll need a conduit," she said. "Something to draw the power from."

Tommy stood up. "That would be me."

Marcy smiled. "Actually your morpher should suffice."

Tommy nodded, grateful he wouldn't have to be part of the process. He took off his Zeo morpher and handed it to Marcy.

"Zordon will monitor everything from the Command Center," he said.

He saw Marcy nod, looking down at the gold metal cuffs in her hands. He watched her fingers trace the round edges softly. "He's not coming, is he?"

Tommy felt something clench in his chest. "He's not answering our calls, phone or communicator. I…no, I don't think he's coming."

He heard a sound that reminded him of sniffle and Marcy looked up toward the horizon. "We should get started."

She walked to the top of the mound, Tommy following her with the Zeo crystal. He set it on the ground where she indicated. "I'll call the Tanzetti power first, then the Zeo power. You won't be able to morph once I activate the power."

"I understand," Tommy said.

"You should go back to the Command Center."

Tommy shifted a little but stood his ground. "We'll wait here."

Marcy turned to him, a loose strand of hair blew into her face and she pushed it aside. "If Baylin or the shadow warriors come I won't be able to protect you."

"Just get started," Tommy said. "I'll take care of the rest."

Marcy nodded. Tommy knew she didn't want to put the others in danger, but he wasn't about to leave her, powers or not. She turned to the horizon, her back to all of them and spread her arms wide. She had a piece of his Zeo morpher in each hand and he couldn't help feeling a little vulnerable. If Baylin did attack the only choice would be to teleport back to the Command Center. He supposed it would be wiser to do that now, but it didn't feel right leaving Marcy here alone. He found himself wishing Billy had answered his call this morning, he'd feel a lot more secure knowing his best friend was standing with his finger on the teleport button, just in case.

Just as the sun rose he felt a strange twinge in his stomach. A vibration rose though his feet, subtle at first, but slowly increasing as the light of day came over the mountains. A soft sound in the same rhythm as the vibration came to him, and reminded him of singing. He couldn't make out words, or even a specific voice, it was more an instinct that made his mind interpret it as musical.

He listened to the sound, enveloped by it. The pink and orange light of sunrise was washing over everything and he felt oddly at peace. He looked around and saw the others standing still, eyes on the horizon and knew they were entranced the same way.

Then the light changed, flashing up from the ground and the next thing Tommy knew he was facing a black sky, a sharp pain in the back of his head. There was screaming and banging all around him and he thought for a second he was floating. Then his body caught up with his mind and he realized he was on the ground, flat on his back. He rolled over, feeling the stability when he could see the ground beneath him.

He stood and turned just in time to see a shadow warrior flying towards him. He ducked the warrior flew over him, rolling through the sand several feet away. He heard someone call his name and saw Marcy running down the mound. He ran towards her but blue lightening crashed down between them and he fell back.

"Tommy, catch!"

He saw her throw the Zeo morphers at him and got to his feet in time to catch them.

"Morph," she said. "Morph now. Go!"

He opened his mouth to object but then he saw something past her shoulder. King Mondo himself, grown to gigantic proportions was wading through the desert and coming straight for them.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the other Rangers battling shadow warriors. He quickly slipped his morphers around his wrist and called the Zeo power.


	21. Stand Alone, Die Together

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

Marcy felt the exact moment when the sun came over the horizon. A Tanzetti all her life she'd long known the connection between nature and power. Even on this foreign planet she could feel those subtle but powerful forces that worked every day in ways that even the most advanced science could never understand.

She remembered a quote she'd read in a book soon after coming to Earth. "A miracle is simply a science we don't yet understand." But it was more than that, it was respect of those miracles, of the things you can't understand, that gave you power.

There was power in sunlight. She didn't understand it, she'd never fully experienced it, but she knew it was there. She'd only see this ritual done once, and then it was in a memory. Her grandmother had performed it, years and years before she was born. It had to be done slowly, harnessing each ray as it passed over the horizon.

When she'd attempted to destroy Baylin the last time she'd used the power from the center of the planet. It was risky, as she'd learned. One wrong move and Earth would be destroyed and the fates only knew where she'd end up. The sun was safer, there was more power there, less risk of it turning in on her if things went wrong. It would give her the energy she needed to bond the Zeo power to hers. She could feel power emanating from Tommy's morphers. She wondered if he felt the loss of power when she took them. That was likely why he stayed behind. He was attached to his power the same way she was attached to hers, the choice to pass it on didn't diminish his devotion to it, or its connection to him.

She could feel the rays of light penetrating her, the crystal on her neck was glowing from the power. This would be the only chance she had at this. Baylin would come, and she would be ready to take him down.

Then suddenly everything went dark. It was like a bolt of lightning hitting the ground in front of her, only instead of lighting everything up, it all went black.

Baylin was early.

She stumbled back, but caught herself. She could still see the sun rising, but the power was ebbing from her. It was too late. When she looked out into the desert again she saw a large blue monster with pieces of clockwork hanging off him. King Mondo.

She turned and saw Tommy lying on the ground several feet from where he'd been standing. He stood and saw a shadow warrior charging him him. She opened her mouth to call out, but he turned in time to see it coming and ducked.

"Tommy!" she shouted.

He looked up at her and she started to run to him. He would need his morphers back. If Mondo attacked her while that size now, they were done for. There was no way she'd be able to complete the ritual now anyway.

When she was feet from him a flash of blue lightening exploded and she was thrown back. She saw Tommy had been knocked back the same way. Baylin was here. She took both morphers in one arm and threw them hard.

"Tommy, catch!"

He caught them both and turned to see his friends attempting to battle the shadow warriors without their powers. The she remembered the Zeo crystal. She had to get it out of here, hide it somewhere. She couldn't teleport it back to the Command center, but she could send it somewhere else, down in the cave maybe, or some other part of the world where Baylin and Mondo couldn't go looking right now. But when she reached the top of the mound, the crystal was gone.

She heard the Rangers behind her calling their powers and morphing. Where ever the crystal was, it was safe. She shook her head, the lingering power of the sun making her dizzy. She focused her mind on that power, it was all she had now.

"I see you're alone again," a voice came from behind her. Marcy turned and he was inches from her. She jumped out of the way before his blow could land and rolled back into a fighting stance.

"That's right, Baylin," she said. "Just you and me."

"The way it was meant to be," he said with a smile.

She returned with a smile she hoped was equally sinister and reached out with her power. She could feel the crystals below her feet activate at her call. Both she and Baylin stood inside they circle they formed below ground. Her hope was that would contain his power enough to take him down.

"You're going to kill yourself doing that," Baylin said.

Marcy just shrugged. "As long as I take you down with me."

Baylin raised his hand and the lightning exploded from his palm. Marcy was ready and caught it in her own wave of light. Strengthened by the crystals she kept his power at bay, but it wouldn't last. She had to focus it all on him, send it surging through him to tear him apart. She'd lose focus soon, she could already feel the energy tearing her apart.

His power was strong but he couldn't sustain it against her sudden jolt of energy and backed off. Marcy charged him. He tried to swing at her but she was too fast, she had him by the face, his deep black eyes focused on hers. She could feel his power, feel hers penetrating him.

The ground under her shifted and she was aware of the mound breaking apart. The energy was too strong, it would tear the land in half and open up the cave. If they fell she would loose focus. She couldn't let that happen.

Baylin was fighting back, his mind against hers and she couldn't stop him. She felt her feet give way and his body fall from her grasp. But instead of falling, she felt herself being jerked backward. There was a firm grip on her arm and then her feet were under her again. She turned, the power waning enough to focus and found herself face to face with a pair of gorgeous blue eyes.

"Billy!"

"I couldn't let you do this alone," he said. His arm was still on hers. They were only inches from crevice the crystals had carved in the mound and blue light filled the depths. Then Baylin appeared again, feet away on the other side of the precipice. Billy stepped back, pulling Marcy with him.

"What do we need to do?"

She only had seconds to think. Bonding merely took activating the six elements of life. The desert around them was earth, there was a spring below the cave that would provide water, wind was ever present in the desert, which left metal.

She pulled Jaden's ceremonial knife from her belt. Baylin was raising his arms, readying for another blow. Marcy stepped in front of Billy and quickly sliced his hand down the center of his palm, he groaned in surprise but didn't flinch. She sliced a similar mark on her own hand and held it over his.

A scream came over the rise and she saw Baylin, eyes wide in horror. That was enough conviction for her and she took hold of Billy's hand.

The change was immediate. There was a surge of power through both of them as his blood mingled with hers, the elements around them called forth. She was aware of a surge of power from the cave, the crystal choosing him, taking him as its owner. Its power could be pulled through him only now.

There was a roar and a flash of light, but Marcy was ready, her strength renewed by the new power at her side. She caught Baylin's light in her forcefield. It captured the lightning like a net. She focused on that forcefield, feed all of her energy into it, then slowly built it up with all of the power from the crystals, and from Billy. A surge of pain went through them both but he held tight, his hand wrapped in hers, his other arm firmly around her waist.

"Don't fight the pain," she said to him. "Give into it, let go."

His body relaxed and the power surged again and she sent it all back towards Baylin, her power enveloping his. She heard him cry out in pain and the earth shook. With one final surge she felt Baylin's power disperse, his body implode on itself, his awareness gone.

Then the ground gave way and she was falling. Then nothing.

*****

**Whoo-hoo! Two more chapters until the finale!! Told you guys I wouldn't let you down. And remember to look out for part three: Tanzetti Legacy. I'll be posting it soon after Reborn is finished so if you want a notification I suggest subscribing to my author alert soon. Any other questions or comments feel free to IM or look me up over at Spyridon's forum who's name I can't spell. **

**Don't forget to review!! **


	22. Pink and Blue

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

*****

The first thing Billy was aware of was the was the smell. It was fresh and clean. He shifted his weight and realized it was also soft. Slowly he opened his eyes.

He was in a small bedroom, a window directly across from him let in the bright afternoon light through sheer white curtains. The walls were soft lavender, the carpet laid to match. Just next to the bed was a small white nightstand with matching lamp. It was vaguely familiar but he couldn't remember when he'd been here before.

His head was muddled with thoughts, he closed his eyes and tried to focus, but it was still there, another presence in his mind. But unlike when Baylin had invaded his thoughts this presence was soothing, peaceful. It was also familiar.

He rolled over and there she was. Marcy. Lying in bed next to him. She was on her back, eyes closed, thin white sheets pulled up to her chest. It was then he realized they were both completely naked. He sat up and looked around the room again; the closet was on her side of the bed, built into the wall, the door across from the foot of the bed. A large comforter in complimentary shades of purple was spread over them as well. They were in her room, in her house, but he couldn't remember when he'd gotten here, or how.

"I brought us here," came a voice from beside him. He looked over and Marcy was still lying back against the pillows, her beautiful green eyes open now. "After the battle."

"Baylin? And the others?"

"The Rangers are fine. They were well out of the way of the blast. Baylin's gone. The extra energy you gave me was enough to kill him for real."

"But I passed out, I wasn't strong enough," Billy said. "I was sure we'd died together."

Marcy sat up and he felt a wave of comfort and security wash over him. "No, Billy, you kept us alive. You were right, Zordon was right. I should have trusted you to begin with. I'm sorry for that."

Billy shook his head. There was nothing to forgive. Marcy was alive, his friends were safe, and everything was good, at least…

"What about us?"

Marcy smiled again. She reached out and touched his face gently. But instead of her gentle touch he felt like he'd been slapped. He felt happy, and scared and sad and confused and…so many other things he couldn't put names to, then the rush was gone, back to just a steady flow, and awareness in the back of his mind. He saw she'd pulled her hand away when that happened. Her touch increased the flow of thoughts between them.

"Is that what it's like for you all the time?" he asked.

"Sort of," Marcy said. "But only when I'm touching someone. You're the only one I can feel all the time."

"Will it always be like that?"

Marcy nodded. "We'll learn some control. It won't be overwhelming forever. You're body may need time to adjust. I-I don't know everything that's going to happen, but…" She reached out and gingerly touched his hand. He was prepared this time for the increase in sensations, and it didn't knock him back. He was able to sort through the thoughts slower, put names to them, to feel them. "I can control it somewhat," Marcy said, "But only because I'm used to it. I'll teach you as much as I can, and the rest we'll just have to learn together."

Billy turned his hand over so that he could wrap his fingers around hers. "So what do we do now?"

Marcy shrugged. "We have a lot to figure out. I'm not even sure where to start."

Billy nodded, but he felt another emotion arise from somewhere in the mix of thoughts rushing through him. He wasn't sure if it was from Marcy or him, but he let it come forward into his mind, he saw a slight flush rise in Marcy's cheeks as she became aware of that feeling too.

"We don't have to talk about everything just now, though, do we?" he asked.

Marcy's cheeks darkened a little, but the grip on his hand tightened. "No," she said softly. "We don't have to talk about anything just now."

He leaned forward slowly, letting his lips touch hers softly, barely a brush. She leaned into him and the kiss deepened. Everything suddenly because more vivid. He was aware of her body, her desire, and her thoughts. As they sank back against the pillows he knew nothing would be the same again.

*****

Tommy reached out and knocked the door of Marcy's house. The other's stood behind him on the small porch just waiting. He'd been shocked when he'd received a call from Billy while they were working out at the Youth Center. They'd been waiting two days to hear from them. Zordon assured the team over and over again that they were fine, despite the fact that it had been two days since anyone had contacted them, and the Command Center sensors could no longer track them.

The door came open and Marcy stood there, dressed in a bright pink tee shirt and jeans. For a second Tommy thought he was in the wrong place. It occurred to him then that he'd never seen Marcy wear the color pink. Either Tanzetti color attachments weren't as strict as the Rangers were, or Marcy was suddenly feeling sentimental.

"Hey," she greeted them with a smile. "Come in, come in." She opened the door wide and stepped back so the whole crowd could enter.

Tommy had only been in the house twice, when he came to check on her after she rescued Billy from the Cogs, and when he came with Billy to search for the crystal. He stepped in first and moved toward the small living room to give room for everyone else to enter.

Rocky was behind him, carrying several pizzas, as requested. Marcy's eyes brightened at the site of food. "Just take it all in the living room," she instructed. "We can eat in there."

Tommy led the way and the others followed. Everyone stood in a small half-circle in the pristine room, not sure what to do next.

"Where's Billy?" Tommy asked.

"He's calling his dad," Marcy said. Then, as if by magic, Billy appeared from the hallway that led to the back bedrooms. The first thing Tommy noticed was the bright blue tank top he recognized but hadn't seen in months.

"Hey, guys," he said with a smile. He walked to Marcy's side and they sat down together on the couch. Everyone else took seats around the room as Marcy opened the pizza boxes and started eating. Tommy watched the way the two of them sat together. They were right next to each other, like their bodies were made to fit together.

For several minutes it was silent, but not because of the task of eating. No one knew what to say first.

"Okay, come on," Marcy said. "I know you have questions so just spill it."

Tommy shifted in his chair running the millions of questions he had over in his mind, trying to figure out which one would be most tactful. Rocky took a different approach. "So, are you guys like, married now?"

Marcy looked at Rocky and burst out laughing. Tommy could see Billy over her shoulder smiling. "No," Marcy said. "It doesn't work that way."

"But, Zordon said bonding was permanent," Tommy said.

"It is," Marcy replied. She gave a glance to Billy but if he responded it wasn't in any way Tommy could see. "We'll always be connected through the power, plus Billy will have the powers of the Tanzetti."

"He did take the power," Tommy said his voice almost a whisper.

"Yes," Marcy said without hesitation.

"So what do you do now?" This question came from Kat. Marcy nodded and looked at Billy again. This time he responded. "We talked about some options. I'm going to start looking for colleges and Marcy will work until I decide where to go."

"So that's it?" Rocky said.

"For right now," Marcy replied. "This is going to change a lot of things, but, right now my priority is making sure we can still have a normal life. At least as normal as it gets for you guys."

They all laughed at that and the mood noticeably lightened. They talked about what had happened since the battle. Mondo escaped, barely, but there was little more than ash and dust where the mound had been. The crystals were nowhere to be seen.

"They're still there," Marcy said. "The magic would have protected them. That reminds me…" She sat up a little. "There is one more thing we need to do for Billy to take full control of his powers and we need your help with it. Are you guys up for it?"

They all agreed and Marcy stood up. "Let's go."

*****

There was some debate over the best way to get to the cave, but in the end teleporting won out. Marcy teleported Billy of course and they all landed near the sight of the battle together.

Marcy heard a gasp just after landing and she knew why. The mound looked exactly like it had before the battle. A large rise in the earth, near the edge of the cliff.

"It's not possible," someone said. Marcy was pretty sure it was Kat, but she didn't look to see.

"Of course it is," she said.

"Who rebuilt it?"

"The crystals did," Marcy said matter-of-factly. She walked up to the mound and put out a hand, the small bit of magic to uncover the entrance coming to her automatically. The wall disappeared leading into the chamber. She turned and saw Billy right behind her, followed closely by the Rangers. She took his hand and led them inside.

"This is it," she said as the entered the chamber. "The Tanzetti legacy."

She heard several gasps and intakes of breath as they took in the site of the six crystals embedded in the walls of the chamber. Marcy stood in the center of the chamber and closed her eyes. She felt the magic of the Earth below her. The magic will provide. That was something her grandmother always told her, and it appeared she was right.

When she opened her eyes five crystal balls had appeared in her hands. Inside each crystal was one of the four natural elements earth, wind, fire, and water. Metal and blood would be provided in different ways.

"Okay, you need to form a circle, Billy in the middle of course," she said. The other's obeyed and she gave Rocky, Tanya, Adam and Kat each a crystal spheres. She pulled Tommy to the middle of the circle and handed him a long silver chain, along with Jaden's knife.

"A proper bonding ceremony requires conjuring the elements. This is largely ceremonial, but I want to observe all the customs."

She took Billy by the hand, the same hand she'd taken during the battle, and held it up. A bright pink scar was visible across his palm. Her own palm held a similar scar. If they'd done the ceremony properly the first time the cut would have been much smaller and she felt a twinge of regret over that, but Billy felt it too and immediately responded with acceptance of it. Marcy noticed Tommy's reaction to the site was more on the horror end of the spectrum.

"Just a small cut this time," she said.

"On both of you?" Tommy said, his voice a little higher than normal.

"Yes." Marcy said. "Just enough to bleed."

"It's alright Tommy," Billy said. "We'll heal it later. We will right?"

Marcy smiled. "Yes."

That seemed to convince Tommy and he carefully speared the knife into the center of Billy's palm. The blade was sharp and it didn't take much pressure before a bead of red appeared over the skin. Tommy quickly moved to Marcy's palm and repeated the procedure. Marcy closed her hand over Billy's, feeling the increase in his thoughts and awareness rush over her.

"Wrap the chain around our hands."

Tommy did as instructed and when he only a few inches of chain were left he seemed to realize there was no way to clasp them together. But again, the magic provided and the two ends of the chain fused together of their own accord when he brought them close to each other.

"What now?" Billy asked.

"There's a vow," Marcy said. "I take you as my own, as my life and my one, to share in mind and spirit and in blood."

Billy repeated the vow and there was a hush over the room, a buzzing in the back of her mind as the magic began to build. Marcy felt Billy's grip on her hand tighten and she tightened hers in return.

"Shatter the crystals," she commanded. There was a pause then sound of breaking glass. The whole room was filled with light and they were all blinded for a moment. Marcy had seen this ceremony preformed millions of times and still she was shocked when it actually happened, the magic sealing their fate forever.

When the light dimmed again it was quiet, no one knowing what to say. Marcy let go of Billy's hand and the chain slipped off his fingers. She took the chain to the wall where the blue crystal hung. When she held the chain to it, it immediately attached itself. She carried it back to the center of the circle.

Marcy placed the chain over his head and let the crystal fall against his chest. "Accept your powers, Tanzetti Blue."

Billy beamed with pride as he looked at the crystal. Tommy stepped forward and clapped him on the back.

"Alright man! You have powers again."

"It will take some time to learn to use them all," Marcy said.

"He'll have an excellent teacher."

Marcy froze at the sound of the voice behind her. It was a voice she hadn't heard in ten years, but before that had known very intimately. She whirled around and there he was, in spirit form, just outside where the Rangers had been standing in a circle moments before.

"It can't be," she whispered.

He stepped forward. The fabric of his clothes moving with the haze of light that surrounded him. The other spirits had appeared as well, filed against the wall of the cavern, but he was the only one she saw. Marcy wanted to run, to reach out and touch him but she knew it wasn't possible. Immediately she felt guilty for even wanting to try, with Billy standing only inches behind her.

"Jaden." She had a million questions, and million demands, but right at that moment the words wouldn't come, but finally she asked, "Why? Why now?"

"Because this day had to come," Jaden said. "It never would have been possible for you to move on, to find your true bond-mate if I still existed."

"I know," Marcy said tears welling in her eyes. She had never felt any resentment over his absence. He was right, she never would have allowed herself to move on, to open up to Billy or anyone else, if he had still existed, even in a way that made it impossible for them to be together.

"I'm proud of you," he said. He adjusted his gaze up to take in the others in the cave. "Of all of you. The Tanzetti have been avenged, and their legacy will live on. Thank you for that."

"Jaden," Marcy whispered again.

But Jaden's gaze had shifted to Billy. "The future of the Tanzetti now rests with you. Keep it well."

She felt Billy's hand touch the small of her back and the comfort that came with it made her relax. Things were the way they were meant to be, the way she'd seen in that vision years and years ago suddenly made sense. She looked at Jaden for a long moment. Everything she'd felt for him was still there, but it was different now, she was different. But at the same time she knew that if he had never been a part of her life she wouldn't be standing here now. His love, his devotion, even his death, had all set her on the course for this day. Without it, she wouldn't have had the strength to resist Baylin, to continue to fight him as she had. None of it would have been possible, and for that she would always be grateful. But Billy was her true mate, she saw that now too, as Jaden saw that his presence would hinder her from finding him. The pressure of Billy's hand came a little harder on her back and she leaned in to his shoulder. For right now, in this moment, everything felt right with the world.

"We will," he said.

Jaden nodded and took a step back. "Go, and be happy."

Marcy blinked and felt a tear run down her cheek. "We will," she answered.

Jaden's spirit form made a small bow and then disappeared entirely, along with the rest of the Tanzetti spirits, leaving the cave suddenly dark and cold.

"We should go," she said. "Try out your new powers."

Billy nodded and Marcy gestured to the cave entrance. Everyone else broke from the circle and began congratulating Billy with hugs and pats on the back as they headed out of the cave. Marcy noticed Tommy holding back and disengaged from Billy to join him.

"It seems like such a waste," Tommy said. "All this power here. It could do so much good."

"It will again one day," Marcy said. "I thought the power would die with me, but apparently the magic had other plans."

"So what happens now?" Tommy asked.

Marcy just smiled. "Whatever we want."

*****

**Voila! Finished! Okay, not quite yet, there's still the Epilogue and a special preview chapter for the third story. Still, I would love love love to know what you're thinking. See ya at the end!!!!**


	23. Cayldne

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

**********

TWO MONTHS LATER

**********

Marcy smiled as the static of the teleportation beam vanished around her. As promised she'd kept her eyes closed the entire time, but it was impossible not to recognize the crisp ionized air of the Command Center. Not that the teleporter beam hadn't been a dead giveaway because it not only felt different than the magical energy they usually used to get around, but Billy had yet to master the ability to teleport anyone else with his powers.

She felt her new bond-mate move around her, the excitement flowing freely from him through their connection. She made a mental note to start meditation practice soon so he could learn to temper that emotional flare a little better. If she were a less respectful person she could easily reach through that bond and spoil her own surprise without him even knowing.

"Are you ready?" Billy asked.

Marcy just smiled. "No, I think I want to stand in the Power Chamber with my eyes closed a little longer. It's very peaceful."

She heard Billy's laughter in front of her. "How did you know?"

"Wild guess."

"Okay then, open your eyes."

Marcy did open her eyes then. The Power Chamber was much as it always was, computer kiosks with flashing lights and the soft whirl of computer motors. The only thing absent was the normally ever-present Alpha droid, along with the ominous mage. Marcy glanced at the vortex tube and was shocked to find it empty.

"What's going on?" she asked. A small twinge of fear crept up in her. She found herself praying that his "surprise" wasn't a secret tryst in the Command Center. One would think that Billy found the place more sacred then that, but then again, he wasn't exactly thinking in his "right mind" lately.

"I told you," Billy said. "I have a surprise."

He turned to one of the kiosks and she saw there was a stack of printout sheets on the counter there. He picked them up and turned back to her.

"I've been doing some research on star positions and double checking them with the satellites here and on Aquitar," he began. "And I think I've found it."

"Found what?" Marcy said.

Billy looked up at her, shock on his face, but it quickly subsided as he realized he hadn't been explaining himself. He took a deep breath and started over. "The coordinates of the refugee ships," he said. "To protect the ships the city leaders encoded the coordinates and broke them up among leaders of the refugees and the Tanzetti. No one person had the complete puzzle or the full coordinates incase of capture."

"Right," Marcy said. "But what difference does that make? The ships were destroyed. I saw it."

Billy's mouth spread into a wide smile. "You saw an explosion from ten light-minutes away. You didn't see everything."

He handed her the top sheet off his stack. She looked at it but it made little sense. It was a list of numbers that seemed in no particular order. She skimmed through it and suddenly noticed a pattern. "This is the code," she said.

"The complete code," Billy said.

"Where did you get it?"

"From the others at the cave," Billy said as if it were obvious. "Everyone still remembered their piece of the puzzle. After I plugged them into the Command Center's computer it wasn't too hard to solve."

"You went to the cave without me?" Marcy was stunned. She took Billy to the cave nearly every day for training, but she had no idea he'd gone there alone. The fact that he'd gone there to talk to the spirits had shocked her even more.

"I thought I should learn more about the Tanzetti history and I didn't want to bother you," Billy said defensively. "You said it was my place too."

Marcy shook her head, snapping out of her shock. "No, I'm not angry, I'm just surprised," she said recovering herself. "I'm glad you feel comfortable there."

Billy just nodded. After a beat he seemed to recover himself and went back to the readouts. "Anyway, the code gave me a set of coordinates and I checked them on the Command Center's satellites, but I couldn't get a clear image, so I called Cestro and he checked them from Aquitar."

Billy shuffled a few papers and pulled out another and handed it to her, this one was an image of a planet taken by satellite. The photo was a little crude, but it was a class M planet, not unlike Earth. There were definite land masses and oceans visible in the photograph, as well white markings that might have been weather patterns.

"Okay," Marcy said. "So you found the planet they were supposed to go to, what difference does that make?"

Billy was all smiles now. He handed her yet another paper. This one was an image of a village, taken from above. Again, the photograph was a little crude, but the tops of houses and buildings were clearly visible. It reminded her of overhead shots from old movies that took place in Greek or Roman times.

"That was taken of a land mass in the southern hemisphere by a probe Cestro sent to the planet. It's the only structured settlement on the planet. You notice those two large structures in the center?" He pulled yet another sheet from the stack. "This is a close-up of one of them."

Marcy took the sheet and the second she looked at it she nearly fainted. The structure was not a building but a spaceship, and very large, familiar spaceship. Clearly painted along the top was a symbol of a bird in flight, clutching a glowing crystal between its talons. It was the crest of the Cayldne government.

"They survived," Marcy breathed.

"At least three ships made it to hyperspace before the explosion," Billy said. "When Cestro saw this he offered to dig a little deeper. He and Delphine went to the planet and made contact with the village."

"They went there?" Marcy said, surprised how much her voice was shaking. It wasn't possible, it just couldn't be true.

Billy nodded. "It's them, Marcy," he said softly. "They survived. The village leaders confirmed everything. They were out of range of the explosion just enough they could make it to lightspeed. They followed the coordinates and landed on the planet. Then they just…started over."

Marcy swallowed hard and forced herself to breathe. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't.

"There's more," Billy said.

Marcy had to take a step back and nearly fell. She wasn't even away of her surroundings until she felt Billy's strong hand on her arm, holding her in place.

"There was a woman there named Katrin Selana."

Marcy's breath caught in her throat at the name. "My mother's alive."

Billy nodded, his grip on her the only thing keeping her from falling over. "Yes. You're brothers too. She sent a message. She said to tell you to come home."

Marcy closed her eyes and reached for calm. Her mother was alive, and her brothers. Her family, her people had survived. She tried to take a breath and when she let it out it came as an uneasy laugh. "I can see my family again. I can go home."

"We can leave as soon as you're ready."

Marcy's eyes snapped open. "We?"

Billy nodded. "Of course, I'm Tanzetti too, I want to meet our people."

"But, what about school, and work and…Billy we can't."

Billy just shrugged. "We have a few months before classes start," he said. "I think we can manage a small visit."

Marcy just threw her arms around him. "Oh, Billy, thank you! Thank you so much."

She pulled away just enough to kiss him gratefully. He kissed her back, pulling her closer and suddenly the kiss went from gratefully to needy. Her emotions were scattered, her control slipping away in the excitement of it all. Her family was alive, her people were safe. The last sacrifice of the Tanzetti hadn't been for nothing. She couldn't believe Billy had gone to the trouble of checking on them in the first place. For the first time since their bonding she didn't fear their future, she didn't fear his resentment, or regret. He loved her deep enough to give her this gift, the first of many they'd give each other over the coming centuries. But no matter how long she lived, she'd never be able to give him anything equal to this.

She heard the papers Billy had been holding fall to the floor in a flutter and his arms wrapped around her back tight. The emotions rushing through their bond were suddenly blurred and Marcy felt herself losing clarity. Her last conscious thought as she pushed Billy's hard body against the computer kiosk was that maybe _one_ little tryst in the command center wouldn't be so bad.

*****

**Ahhh….success! The end of the line, at least for a week or two. As always reviews are welcome. Legacy will start soon and you'll all be getting spoiled for awhile as it's over half written and I have a bit more time to write and edit during the school year (thank God for preschool!). Don't get too used to it though; Lord only knows what will happen between now and then. I still have Beyond Sunset and A Chance in Heaven to finish, plus Spy, asdeed and myself have embarked on an odd little journey into joint fanfic that should be entertaining for all. **

**You may notice there's one more chapter listed here. I have some special thanks to hand out and just to keep you on your toes I've included a small preview of the next installment of this series Tanzetti Legacy. So click over and enjoy!!**


	24. Legacy Sneak Peek

**Okay, first things first: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed any of the Tanzetti series. This is my first published fanfic in years and I'm so delighted at the response. I tried to reply to every review, if I failed I apologize, please don't let that discourage you from reviewing again. I assure you I've read each and every one. **

**Special shoutout to Spyridon for being my most loyal fan and friend! **

**Special thanks to Dark Red Knight for asking how Billy was going to react to the knowledge that Marcy blew up a planet. It had a profound impact on how I wrote the ending. **

**Also, music is a huge inspiration to my writing. I hear songs every day that open up new ideas in my stories. I don't really have them organized but I wanted to give credit to a few songs that helped this piece along. These are in no particular order but I think if you listen to them you'll see where they fit. **

**Given Up-Linkin Park**

**Love Story-Taylor Swift**

**And of course the two songs that got chapters named after them:**

**Do This Anymore**

**I'd Come for You-both by Nickelback **

**Last but not least, I've included a small preview of Legacy, which I'm currently editing. I'm going to do my best to post at least once a week or so for all of you because I know if I post them all at once you'll read them all in one day and then bug me for months for more. Buy myself some time, that's the ticket. **

**Again, thank you all, and I hope you continue to read!!**

**P.S. The following is from Chapter 5 titled In Media Res (Latin for "in the midst of," which is an inside joke I think you'll get when you read it)**

*****

Billy woke to the sun shining in his eyes from the poorly drawn curtains. He could hear distant voices of people passing on the street, going about their workdays. The house around him was quiet and he wondered if Cera and Dracos had left for their morning tasks as well. Then he remembered he was supposed to go to the training field with Dracos that morning and wondered if he was too late. He moved to sit up, and found Marcy's hand over his chest, gently holding him down.

"I told him to go on without you," Marcy's soft voice said from beside him. "I told him you had a rough night."

"You didn't have to do that," Billy replied. He fell back in his back and Marcy propped herself up on one elbow beside him.

"I wanted to," she said. Her hand moved slowly over his chest suggestively, slowly working it's way south. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you last night."

"You were upset," he said. _And you had every right to be_, he thought, but didn't speak. Her mother's surprise announcement last night was incredibly insensitive and had put Marcy in a very difficult position. It put them both in a difficult position. They only had two months before his school started, and here was Katrin making promises about the Tanzetti rising again. His thoughts from the night before drifted slowly into his mind again. The differences between here and Earth. Which lifestyle did he really want?

Marcy looked down. "I shouldn't have lost my temper that way. I should have come to you but I…I couldn't put all of that on you."

Billy reached up and cupped her face in his hand, moving it so she was looking at him. "Hey," he said softly, "We need to take care of this together."

Marcy nodded. "I know, I'm sorry."

She shifted a little and leaned in to kiss him. Her hands were at the waistline of the thin shorts he'd put on for sleeping. She climbed on top of him and he realized she was naked. He felt a small wave of guilt, which only increased the tension of his worry. It was so easy to be here with Marcy like this. It was too easy.

Marcy pulled back, starring down at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, but he knew she'd feel the lie in it.

Her eyes narrowed. "What is it?" she demanded.

"It's nothing, it…" He sighed, he may as well say it, and she'd get it out of him one way or another. "I was just thinking about what your mother said about bonding and marriage. How can we be here acting like we're married and then go back to Earth and pretend we're not. It just doesn't seem right."

Marcy was taken speechless for several minutes. Her eyes looked away as she mulled this over.

"How long have you felt this way?" she finally asked.

Billy shrugged. "I don't know. It didn't seem like a big deal at first. I mean, we'll get married eventually, there was no rush, but now, seeing the way everyone looks at us, treats us differently…I guess I just started wondering if it would be that way back home."

Marcy nodded. He could feel the guilt welling up inside her. "This whole thing has been really unfair to you."

"No!" Billy said. "You've done everything could to make this fair to me. Marcy you can't do it all. We are married, we're bonded forever. There's nothing either of us can do about that. You're sacrificing everything to try and make things easier for me but…"

Marcy's eyes had gone as cold, as did her body. "Say it."

Billy swallowed against the lump in his throat. "We can't have it both ways," he said softly. "I don't want to pretend to be something I'm not."

Marcy nodded. "You're right." She slid off him and crawled to the other side of the bed, as far away from him as she could be without falling to the floor."

"I'll talk to Mother. My things will be gone when you get back with Dracos."

"Marcy."

"You're right," she said. "This is how it needs to be. I won't give you a gift you aren't allowed to keep."

He reached out through their connection to her mind, but she shut him down. A mental barrier as strong as steel. He didn't know she could do that.

He wanted to say something more, to scream and shout at her to let him back in, but it was no use. He'd asked for this, and she was right. All this time the one thing that soiled their union was that it wasn't complete, that she didn't want it complete. She'd convinced him it was for his sake, for his future, so he could go to college and have a normal life the same way he would have if they hadn't bonded. But it made no difference. They were bonded, they were connected for eternity by a magic older than time, and stronger than the universe, stronger than love itself. Now that he saw it with more clarity, he saw how small a thing it was. They'd already cemented their relationship with the strongest bonds possible, erasing a less meaningful vow didn't diminish that, it only insulted it.

Billy slowly got up from the bed and dressed, then left the room. He paused at the door before closing it, turning to say some kind of goodbye, and he saw Marcy sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. Her thick brown hair obscuring the view of her face.

"Marcy, I…" He what? He took it all back? He couldn't change how he felt; he couldn't lie to her to make her happy. This was going to come one way or another, the fact it had come this soon made little difference.

"Just go, Billy," Marcy said. "Just leave."

He opened his mouth one more time but words failed him. Finally he simply stepped into the hall and shut the door. The second it closed home he felt a shudder go through his body that was almost paralyzing. He turned back to the door, tempted to go back. Then the feeling disappeared, pulled back behind the steel trap it leaked out of, and Billy stood outside the door feeling shattered to pieces.

Inside that room, Marcy was crying and it was his fault, and there was nothing he could do about it.

*****

**Thanks for reading!! Remember, all reviews are welcome. Any other questions or comments may be sent via PM or Caer Arienhrod forum see my or Syridon's profile for details. **


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